Our day of art began in the Musee D'Orsay. We made our way first to the Impressionists floor to see Monet, Degas, and Renoir. It was especially cool after previously seeing the country sites that inspired much of this work. We found out the "Impressionists" was an insult given by an art critic mocking this new art fad. And it was incredible to see the shift from realism, to impressionism, to modern art. We never knew that the Impressionists inspired Vangogh and he inspired Picasso and Picasso was one of the fathers of modern art. While I was gawking at Monet's Lady with the Parasol, Brad said "what makes some art famous" and I said "because he painted wind! who can do that! no one but Monet!" When we saw the Vangogh exhibit we were both awe struck by Starry Night. Vangogh took impressionism to a whole new level with his vibrant color and lines. We took a lunch break in the Jardin des Tuileries and basked in the sun thinking about all of the beautiful art we had just seen. Next up Musee D'Lorangerie designed and donated by Monet to hold his greatest work Water Lillies, with a promise of bringing the people of Paris tranquility and peace after WWI. We didn't realize how big this exhibit was- 2 oval rooms representing infinity. It was a mixture of so many colors gently blending together in a natural peaceful rhythm. It made you think about all of the natural unending blend of color and constancy found in nature and it really does evoke a tranquil peace. We saw more Renoir and Picasso and we both decided Picasso was not our favorite. And the last museum was The Palace Louvre. Louis XIV really was very pompous to think he needed to build Versailles when he had this. This was Brad's FAVORITE part of Paris. He loved the Palace architecture, the ancient art exhibits, and all of the history. We of course saw the famous pieces and some thoughts that stood out were- Mona Lisa's eyes really do follow yours where ever you stand in the room (how did DaVinci do that????) and Michelangelo reigns supreme with his work of Dying Slave with sculpting the strength of the human body. After we had seen most of the Louvre and we were deep in the middle of the Louvre, Brad realized he might be having a kidney stone and we rushed to get him some water and get back to our hotel. We said a prayer and got through the massive Louvre, the metro, and back to our hotel safe and sound. He took some pain meds and it went away or he passed it sometime in the night. We were reminded of gratitude for health-especially when you are traveling.
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