Paris Diaries: The Louvre

Paris... the city of love. It truly lives up to its name. Since there is so much to see and do, I will be publishing a series of posts about my time spent in this gorgeous city. 

The Louvre 

I M Pei's Pyramid

A trip to Paris would be incomplete without popping by the Louvre. Had I planned properly, I would have probably purchased my ticket online. The queue was long. No worries, however, as I managed to get good pictures of IM Pei's glass Pyramid (which is the entrance) while waiting in the queue. First there is a security checkpoint, once you're in you are literally under the pyramid (Yay! for more pictures!) in the entrance hall and in the heart of the museum. I then purchased my actual museum entry ticket from a machine. 

Map in hand and my head sufficiently confused about where to begin, I started exploring.

The Louvre is a 5 story former residential royal palace. It has three wings (Richelieu, Denon & Sulley) and thousands of pieces on display. With this in mind, I resigned myself to the fact that I wont get through everything (to do that I would have probably needed weeks). I set out up the first escalator. What struck me the most was the ornateness of the palace. Every detail from a column to the light fitting was exquisite. The views from within the palace were pretty great too!

Grounds of the Louvre

As there is too much to discuss (even with the limited time I spent there), here are my top 5 pieces in the Louvre. Please note: I am by no means an art expert or critic, I merely liked these pieces based on what emotion they evoked in me.

Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Undoubtedly the most famous of the Louvre pieces, I headed to see Mona Lisa with much enthusiasm. It however wasn't as romantic as I hoped it would be. I was not prepared for the crowd in that room. However, I waited, and as I was buoyed to the front with the rest of the crowd, I came to appreciate seeing her with my own two eyes. I'd seen the painting thousands of times on the internet and other media, but for the first time I noticed something enchanting about her smile. Something mysterious about the way her eyes followed me. Something graceful about the way her hands are draped. Whether you find something beautiful about the experience or whether you are left utterly underwhelmed, one thing is certain - that you have to see this piece when you visit the Louvre.

Liberty Leading the People by Eugene Delacroix

Lady Liberty brandishing the flag of the French Revolution over the dead soldiers. Both exhilarating and sad. A reminder that regardless of how righteous and "liberating" the victory, there are always casualties, something that I think resonated within me, given our current global political climate. 

The Virgin of the rocks by Leonardo da Vinci

Now this I found this interesting. The oil painting housed in the Louvre is but one of a pair. There is an identical oil paining housed in the National Gallery in London. Its thought that the Louvre painting is the older of the two, painted some 10 years before the London painting in the 1480's. Its also believed that the Louvre version was painted entirely by Leonardo da Vinci, while the London version was painted by both himself and his assistants. However, nobody is quite sure why there are two versions.

Napoleon III Apartments

When I first entered these "apartments" the first thing that struck me was the sheer opulence of the interiors. Actually, "opulence" is a bit of an understatement. What fascinated me the most was the attention to detail and the complexity of every single aspect. I mean from chair handles to the ceiling to the carpets, everything oozes richness, and it actually left me feeling slightly dizzy. 

The Dying Slave & The Rebellious Slave by Michaelangelo

The Dying Slave

Originally these two marble sculptures were to adorn the tomb of Pope Julius II. The Rebellious Slave shows a man contorting his body in a manner in which he's trying to free himself from the clutches of something sinister, he is tormented. The effort with which he is moving is palpable, muscles  beautifully sculptured, much more defined than his brother, the Dying Slave.  The Dying slave appears much more tranquil, a sense of a human resigned to having let go of his physical form. 

When I was done at the Louvre, I made my way to Carrousel du Louvre, a shopping center. This is a shopping center located in close proximity to the Louvre (in fact there are entrances linked to the Louvre) with a number of great stores. I spent some time here and then made my way to the Tuileries Gardens. This is actually a garden steeped in history, dating back to the days of Queen Catherine de Medici in 1564. The subsequent century saw it being owned by various monarchs, until it became open to the public in 1667.
I strolled through the water features and statues on what was a perfect day. Its evident that Parisians (and tourists!) come here to relax and meet with friends. I bought an ice cream, and luckily had my current read on hand. So what more was to be done than set myself on a garden chair and enjoy the Paris sunshine?

Enjoying an ice cream at Tuileries Gardens

Have you been to the Louvre? What were your most memorable moments?