old family blog

MY PAINTING!!!!! STEP OFF!!!!!!!

After a fail attempt to see the d’Orsay gallery yesterday, we made the trek back to the left bank once again. And this time we were greeted with a rather long line. On the way to the d’Orsay we walked through the Galarie where I fell in love with the two paintings. To my surprise, I did not recognize it before! I have seen the space many times before, as it was used in several Jean Paul Gaultier shows. For those of you who do not know that name, his a fashion designer here in Paris.

As we exited the Galarie we noticed the cool staircase we saw last time we were there. This time I noticed gentleman walk into the entrance dressed in head to toe Gaultier. As we approached the entrance, to our surprise a plaque read Jean Paul Gaultier Atelier. Right outside the main entrance was the Gaultier flagship store. We continued our journey to the d’Orsay while passing through the Toulouse gardens. As crossed the left bank we came across this small apartment with it big blue door. When I say small it was tiny and skinny, I don’t think I have ever seen something that small even in New York City.

The d’Orsay is amazing; it’s a converted train station. After you have entered the front entrance, you walk into the actual train track area. Which is now the main room for the museums sculptures. I love how they created different levels to room, which lead you into a maze of galleries. We opted to start from the top – we learned our lesson over at the Louvre. Here is my advice, stop for a minute and look at your map to the museum and focus on the parts of the museum you wish to see. The d’Orsay is on a grand scale even in its collection.

The d’Orsay is a Impressionist lovers dream museum. Everything from Renoir, Degas, Monet, Cézanne, Manet, the Piszarro’s even to Lautrec. I was excited to actually see so many pieces by Toulouse Lautrec. In the first section of paintings we saw everything from Renoir to Degas, A number of the Degas were outstanding, like little girl sitting and the widow in the park. I was excited to also see Claude Monet’s “Woman with Parasol”, it was breath taking! As moved more into the collection we noticed this man completely enthralled in Alfred Sisley painting, I think walked around the room twice in 10 minutes and he was still there. And if you got close to the painting he stared you down, in a back of you bitch look.

In the second section of the d'Orsay we got to see several sketches and drawings. What is interesting is how the d’Orsay shows these pieces. They show paintings in the large rooms with natural light. While the drawings and sketches are in low light rooms with low ceilings. That’s why my photos are so dark. Clem and I came across an artist neither of us had seen before. Lucien Levy-Dhurmer painted from 1880-1920’s; the museum had 5 drawings by the artist. Two entitled “Medusa” and “the Sorcerer”, plus a portrait of “Georges Rodenbach” which is really ghostly. I think the reason we love Dhurmer’s work is its so dark and dead like.

There were two Lautrec paintings hanging before we went into the drawing and sketch rooms. The two paintings were actually billboards that use to hang in Paris. Sadly after their use, someone had chopped them up and framed them. Luckily someone went through the painstaking work of recovering all the pieces and put them back together. In the smaller rooms there were several sketches and drawing by Lautrec. Including my two favorite pieces, “Le Lit” a sketch of two kids sleeping…the colors were amazing. The second was “La Femme au Boa Noir” (Woman with Black Boa). Lautrec did very little paintings in his lifetime; most of his works were in the form of sketches and drawings.

My favorite at this point of the collection was the painting by Jozsef Rippl-Ronai entitled “Un Parc La Nuit”. I know this painting has been copied a number of times by many great impressionists. A true inspiration! I want it! LOL……..

posted by turlie @ 9:30 AM