Thursday, October 16, 2008
Thursday, October 9, 2008
More from the Pompidou
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Pompidou artwork
The Pompidou, one of the greatest museums on earth. From left to right: Anslem Kiefer, George Baselitz, Leon Golub, and Picasso
Moulin Rouge
Table Dance anyone? the Moulin Rouge, where all your dreams come true. When you wake up in the morning with a splitting headache and an empty bank account you know it was worth it.
Wine cheaper than water?
Sunset over grand Paris
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Notre Dame
Icons
Here are a few of my favorite paintings from the Louvre. I choose these because I feel most everyone will instantly recognize them. As many times as I have studied these paintings and seen them repeatedly in print, nothing prepared me for the intensity in scale, and the genius of painting technique demonstrated by these masters, as I stood in front of these works for the first time.
Montmartre
I took a subway to the northern Paris neighborhood of Montmartre. There I wandered the bustling ancient streets and corridors with their cafes, nightclubs, and curious knick knack shops. I could not help but imagine that in this very neighborhood the likes of Modigliani, Picasso, Monet, and Dali used to conduct their everyday lives on these very streets. I made my way up to the summit of Montmartre, the highest point in the city, towards Basilica of the Sacré Cœur. The Sacre Coeur is beautiful and one of the easiest landmarks to recognize in Paris. Although the day was a bit hazy the view from the steps of the church was quite nice. Needless to say I did not take away with me divine inspiration or have an religious epiphany from my experince at the Sacre Coeur, what did stick in my mind did not have to do with the religious signifincance of the place, as much as a practical one. In the construction of the Basilica, Travertine stone was used. Travertine constantly exudes calcite which keeps the stone pure white, despite the heavy pollution and the weather.
Friday, October 3, 2008
Pompidou Experience
Strolling thorough the Pompidou was a unique and refreshing experience for me. Inside the halls of the Pompidou are an outstanding collection of modern and contemporary art.
What was so unique about the way the museum is set up is the rooms are dedicated to specific art periods and singular artist much like a whole group of galleries combined at once in one continual flow of uninterrupted space. Seeing some of my favorite artists works for the first time live was a real treat. As much as our print media has improved over the years nothing compares to the real thing. I was pleased to find a piece by Jean Tinguely the Swiss artist who helped construct the below mentioned Le Cyclop, the Dadist machine in the woods of Milley-la-Foret outside of Paris. Although this work was on a smaller scale the outlandish oil barrel machine piece still packed an intense visual punch. Another piece right next to the Tinguely piece was by Nikki de Saint Phalle, who was a lifelong friend and who also collaborated with Tinguely on the creating of Le Cyclop.
Le Cyclop
Set back into the woods of Milly-la-Foret, France in a beautiful stretch of French countryside sits a wondrous, and beautifully outlandish, monolithic monument of contemporary art. I first heard of this masterpiece named Le Cyclop, from a fellow painter who had recently visited during her stay in France. I arrived mid afternoon with the sun high in the sky and a light refreshing breeze rustling through the trees making the sunlight filtering through the leaves dance and shimmer. The air was cool on my skin and the earthy smell of wet leaves was a kind respite from the stuffiness of the car.
Le Cyclop poked through the trees like an awkward gentle giant, towering over seventy feet into the air its presence massive. Covered in hundreds of mirrors, with one giant inlaid eye which moved from side to side with lazy confidence gave it an otherworldly appearance. It was a strange alien form crash landed millions of years before the arrival of man. The more I looked at it the more I felt the monumental importance of the form, it was almost a spiritual familiarity comparable to religious icons such as the smiling Buddha or Madonna
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)