Day 3 - Palace of Versailles and Pompidou Museum

Day 3 - Thursday
Today, I took a day trip to the Palace of Versailles! I left at 7 a.m., but there was a slight travel problem at the station in that one of the trains I needed to catch kept running late due to an accident. Late turned into several hours, and the hours allowed time and reason to meet new Canadian friends! Catarine, her daughter, Sylvie, and their family were trying to get to Versailles too, and were tired of waiting on the absent train.  Since they knew of another way to get there by bus, I followed along.  By the time I arrived in Versailles, it was 12 p.m., much later than planned, but meeting these lovely people made it all worthwhile!

At the entrance to Louis XVI's former power base, there stands a new (2008) replica of the original wrought iron and gold leaf gate which took two years to create.  This gate was crafted with a total of 100,000 gold leaves! The original was built by Jules Hardouin-Mansart in the 1680's, but was torn down in the French Revolution.

Equestrian statue of King Louis XIV, outside the front of the palace.

Paintings on the ceiling of the palace are all fit for a king!

Ornate decorative relief in the palace

Hall of Mirrors

While at the palace, I was fortunate to see work by contemporary artist, Anish Kapoor. These were both reflective works, dealing with curved mirrors used strategically within the space. The above sculpture was just outside the back door of the palace.

This sculpture by Anish Kapoor overlooks the extensive Versailles gardens.

...of course, I had to get a picture with the art and the palace!

Basin de Latone - Latona Fountain with the tapis vert and the Grand Canal in the background

Statue in gardens of Versailles.

Bronze statue by the Water Parterre that symbolizes the four great sea-going rivers of France and its next four principal rivers. Greeks and Romans depicted rivers as reed-crowned bearded old men, holding a horn of plenty or an oar to demonstrate how the water is a source of wealth.

To conclude an already amazing day spent learning about the history of France and the artists and architects that were responsible for this enthralling palace, I decided to finish up at the Pompidou Center. The architecture of the Center is quite distinctive, to say the least. The building appears to be constructed 'inside out' with the inner-workings and systems (heating and cooling pipes, etc.) are on the outside as a decorative feature!

Centre Pompidou

View from the upper balcony of the Pompidou Center.

Installation art by Cuban artist Wilfredo Prieto. Avalanche, 2003

Yves Klein is known for his solid-color canvasses. He painted this one in ultramarine blue because he believed that blue could change the world. He employed a chemist to create this blue color for him to prevent fading (the color was called IKB for International Klein Blue).                                                                                                                                                     The significance of blue in artwork throughout the ages is depiced in a kid-friendly way on this blog (note- the podcast has parts that may not be appropriate for all ages).  http://artsandfacts.blogspot.com/2014/04/episode-102-blue.html

François Morellet's artwork in the Pompidou demonstrates a direct connection of art to math by his use of geometry. Although this piece has nothing but straight lines on it, the way the artist positions the lines makes it appear that there are circles (or curved lines) on the canvas.

Jackson Pollock, Number 26 A, Black and White, 1948   My young students have always enjoyed creating their own drip paintings inspired by the Abstract Expressionist art of Jackson Pollock.

A perspective drawing by an artist featured at Pompidou that I thought my students would like to see. My 3rd, 4th and 5th graders made one and two point perspective drawings last school year.

Pablo Picasso, Arlequin, 1923

A close-up of the Picasso shows the detail and line work by the artist.

Wassily Kandinsky "Gelb-Rot-Blau," 1925. My students always enjoy studying Kandinsky. Viewing his artwork during class encourages the study of line, form, shape, balance and color.

Close-up of Paul Klee, "Pfeil im Garten", 1929.

Piet Mondrian, Composition in Red, Blue and White II, 1937. My younger students created Mondrian-inspired works of art last school year. I'm so excited to be able to see some of his pieces in person and to bring a more personal approach into future classroom presentations after this trip!

There are so many other Modern artists at the Pompidou. It was really a wonderful experience to be able to see the artwork of famed and internationally renown artists up close and in person! There was so much to see, I stayed until the museum closed.
Dinner was on the Pompidou Center rooftop, overlooking the city. What a relaxing conclusion to a full day of experiential learning!