Paris #3 - The Louvre

The Louvre, as I was surprised to find out, was not always one of the world's great art museums. Which it is. It was originally the palace home of the French monarchy, and the complex is definitely regal enough to do the job even without the gaudy glass pyramid in the open square.  It wasn't until Louis XIV built his massive pleasure palace of Versailles; a 30 min train ride out of the city in an era where people had to walk or ride a horse, that the monarchy left Parisians to their hunger and poverty. The revolutionaries were the ones to first open the Louvre as a museum; the king's old art collections being opened up to the masses. Its also famously the home of such renowned masterworks as the Mona Lisa and the Venus de Milo. We confined our visit to the Italian painters and the classical sculptures so we could see the most epic stuff without killing our legs on our first day. It did mean, for those of you into ancient history, that I could have seen Hammurabi's code but didn't. I'm not terrifically disappointed, but thats where it is if you're on the hunt.

The Pyramide is not only exactly in line with the Champs Elysees and in the central square of the Louvre and a very sharp smack of modern on an otherwise classic building. It's also the front door. But only if you have time to waste. People with museum passes could sneak through a thoroughly un-publicised back way. For the win! 

We managed to find our sneaky back way to enter which kept us out of the long lines. Hooray for Rick Steves - our pocket-sized tour guide! If you ever go to Paris; seriously look into the Museum pass; saved us a *bundle*, and not just on admission.

We started in a statue gallery 'cause we got a tad lost. Directions in a guidebook are only as useful as they are. 

The Venus de Milo is an example, according to Rick, of contrapposto (spelling) in its finest. I'm not a big art guy. But something about being in the room with something like this was powerful. They have it set up so you can walk all the way around her. Orbit is definitely my new favourite way to view sculpture

This Roman copy of  Greek Athena struck me as one sassy lady. I could practically hear "Oh no you did-n't"

Frieze from the Parthenon

Another frieze from the Parthenon, this one with a centaur behaving in a massively inappropriate way.

This was an unexpected treat and one of my favourites of the day. Winged Victory is missing a head and a hand but she's still kicking butt. Look at the way her dress looks soaked by the sea water crashing up on the prow where she's standing but also blown back violently. Everything about her screams motion and "duh...winning". 

Victory's hand. Which, on the original, might have been a big "we're number one!" finger pointing to the sky

When I looked at this ceiling painting, I felt like the ground disappeared out from under me; the way Icarus is being cast own by Helios in this painting. 

The French crown jewels. A bit less impressive than the British ones, which I hear are awesome. We haven't managed to pay to go see them yet.

The Grand Gallery

John the Baptist by Leonardo da Vinci

I think this one is a Raphael.

You know how people say the Mona Lisa is underwhelming. They're right. Couldn't even get close. And with no flash, it's a blurry long exposure shot with strange faces in it. There were easily a hundred people moshing in front of her. Not sure if that's what Leo always intended.

In the French Romantics section, I got to see some paintings I actually knew: Coronation of Napoleon, Oath of the Horatii, and Liberty leading the People. Epic. Painfully and unashamedly patriotic. Good stuff.

Hercules slaying the Hydra. Somehow, whenever I read this story, I imagined the Hydra as a more fearsome beast than the neighbour's 7-headed Yorkie

By the time we got out we were done for the day. We limped to the nearest RER stop across the river and went back to our hotel.