Musée d'Orsay
Because of last night's events, I received emails from the US Embassy to be very cautious about traveling or going to popular transit centers, so instead of leaving Paris for a day trip, my friends and I decided to stay close to home. There is always more to see in the city, so this time we decided to make our way to the sixth arrondisement to Musée d'Orsay, that holds art from 1848-1914. Located in what used to be a railway station, in 1977 the structure was saved from demolition and became a house of art in 1986.
(Sadly, we couldn't get in for free with out ACCENT cards-- had to pay 9 euros, but after everything I will say it was worth it!)
The architecture of the abandoned railway station is absolutely remarkable. With high ceilings, and a great big clock, the sunshine that comes through makes the art in the museum even more astonishing.
Each room held magnificent paintings, sculptures, drawings, and photographs that were absolutely amazing. The amount of Monets, and Van Goghs, and Rousseaus (on special exhibit), and Sisleys, and Toulouse-Lautrecs was incredible. Here are just a few of the multitude of standouts:
The striking self portrait of Vincent Van Gogh, a world renown painting.
Thomas Couture's "Les Romains de la Décadence," each time I look at this painting I see something interesting.
Claude Monet's "La Rue Montorgueil, à Paris, fête du 30 juin 1878." France surely has national pride, can you even count the number of flags in this painting?
Monet is one of my all time favorite artists, and tomorrow I will be going to Giverny, where Monet's gardens are!!! So I will surely cover more about Monet in tomorrow's blogpost.
I could go on and on and take photo after photo, but for concision I will write a little bit about Degas' work.
One of my all time favorite sculptures is Degas' "Little Dancer Aged Fourteen." Probably one of the first museums I ever went to as a child was the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California. There, this Degas sculpture captivated my eyes at a young age, and I have always enjoyed it every time I return.
It is a bronze sculpture of young ballerina, a Belgian named Marie van Goethem. She poses with her hands behind her and her head tilted up, with a slight grimace on her face. But what captivates me the most is the use of the real satin bow in her hair, the silk slippers, and also real tutu. It made the sculpture come back to life from its creation in 1881.
So when I saw that the Little Dancer was here at the Musée d'Orsay, I thought that it was the one from the Norton Simon, that they must have brought it here like museums often do, trading and rotating their pieces. I thought it was incredible to know that a sculpture I had grown up admiring in my own hometown, was in Paris at the same time as me!
But when I got home to do some research, I found out that the one that I saw today at Musée d'Orsay is in fact, not the one from the Norton Simon. And that they are both copies of the original figure, which was actually made of wax by Degas, and is currently housed the the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. The Little Dancer has since been recreated in bronze models and have been placed in various museums around the world.
Although I was a bit disappointed that I have been admiring a copy of the real piece my whole life, I think it is remarkable how one sculpture can be so admired across different cultures that it could be placed around the world and still retain such popularity. It shows that art is universal, it brings us together, it fills the void in this world, it can be enjoyed by all.
This view of Paris from the clock at Musée d'Orsay reminds me that all of this spectacular art, although representing very specific moments in time and space, is ultimately timeless, as it will be enjoyed for centuries to come.
UCLA IEO can help you with your own study abroad trip, where you might find another Little Dancer somewhere in the world!