Day 4 / Pantheon, Pompidou (part 2), Intro to The Louvre

Day 4 - Friday

Today I was up at 5 a.m., ready to visit the Catacombs. Once I made it there and saw the extremely long line that wrapped around the block, I made a swift change of plans. ...on to the Pantheon!

What an amazing masterpiece of neoclassical architecture, with Gothic decorations mixed in with a distinctly classical style!  This monument was changed into  a mausoleum to bury important and distinguished Frenchmen.  It was also fascinating to enter the crypt underneath the church that became the final resting place for Voltaire, Rousseau, Victor Hugo, Louis Braille, Marie Curie, and many other famous writers, poets and scientists.

The Pantheon in Paris, France

...of course, I had to snap a picture to show my students!

Looking up, while outside on the front area of the Pantheon. The design and architecture was magnificent!

The inside of the Pantheon. I was able to capture a 360º panorama to show my students! This creates a virtual image that can be spun, moved around and interacted with on the ipad or iphone.

Another photograph of the interior of the Pantheon.

A small replica of the Pantheon was inside of the Pantheon. I was able to make a video going around this piece to show my students the church. I would have made a 3D capture of the mini Pantheon, but the fence did not allow visitors to go all around the replica.

Inside the crypt. This is a sculpture of an Egyptian cat (not a real cat).

After visiting the Pantheon, I decided to visit The Louvre with the mission to capture/video/photograph most of the really famous pieces that I know are always crowded with visitors. I thought if I could go and see these pieces at night just before closing time, it might keep the crowds from interrupting the process of capturing each piece. This strategy worked! I was able to see all of the really famous pieces with minimal crowds! Later in my visit, I plan to see the rest of The Louvre.

 

Inside the large pyramid that serves as the main entrance to the Louvre, completed in 1989. It consists of 603 rhombus-shaped and 70 triangular glass segments and was designed by the architect the architect I. M. Pei. 

The Winged Victory of Samothrace (or the Nike of Samothrace) is prominently displayed at The Louvre. 

The Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci (1503-1517) was highly protected behind a bar and glass. Guards were also posted on either side. It looked small from such a distance, but was still quite spectacular to see in person!

The Lacemaker is a painting by the Dutch artist Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675). It, too, was much smaller in person than I imagined it would be! It is actually the smallest of Vermeer's paintings!

Visitors to The Louvre look at The Lacemaker by Vermeer.

A view looking outside from a window in The Louvre.

The Inverted Pyramid is a skylight in the shopping mall in front of the Louvre Museum. It looks like an upside-down and smaller version of the Louvre Pyramid.

...made it to closing time. I'm glad I planned to come back another day to visit The Louvre in more depth. There is so much to see, it will take many more hours to fully experience it. I'm really looking forward to the Egyptian collection!

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!

Day 2 / Orsay Museum and Arc de Triumphe

Day 2 / Wednesday

Today I visited the Orsay Museum, and saw the Impressionist art of Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas, Van Gogh, Cézanne and Gauguin among many others! It was truly an amazing experience to see works in person that I have only seen in books.

The museum itself was also quite spectacular, as the main floor is an old train station.

While at the Orsay, I was able to take many photos of famous art close up and with great detail, which will be perfect for showing students how the Impressionists paintings look from close up and far away. I'll be excited to use the SmartBoard when students study Impressionist techniques before making their own Impressionist-style paintings!Pictured is Edgar Degas' painting Danseuses Bleues or Blue Dancers, c. 1899.

I captured this sculpture Polar Bear by François Pompon in 3D using a free app on my iphone called 123Dcatch. This will be used as a tool on the ipad to demonstrate the connection between 3D technology and how it can be used to show texture and form in a virtual way before students make their own animal sculptures out of clay. Students can use the ipad to view the bear from different angles and view points! 

Here is a link to the 3D scan/capture
      http://www.123dapp.com/catch/Polar-Bear-by-Francois-Pompon-Orsay-Museum-/4099539

Close up of Paul Cézanne (1896-1898) Still Life with Onions. These close up images will be excellent for showing students light and shadow within still-life compositions! I can't wait for the students to create their own still-life art inspired by Cézanne!

Close up of Claude Monet Le Bassin aux nymphéas, harmonie verte (1899).

Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles (1889), by Vincent Van Gogh.

Students sketching at the Orsay Museum.

There are so many other photos I'd love to include, but it would take too long to attach all of them! I'm thrilled to be on my way towards compiling a collection of material I can use within art classes for my students from now on, including 3D scans, videos, and photographs of famous art.

Arc de Triumphe

After an eye-opening morning and afternoon at the Musée d'Orsay, I finished up my day venturing to the top of the Arc de Triomphe to see a magnificent view of Paris.

Here's a little video of the Eiffel Tower shimmering!

What a beautiful sunset and way to end a delightful artistic evening!