Museums, fake ruins and a fruitless quest

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Day 14

Oh la la! I can't believe it's already been two weeks now! Time flies. And yet, I also feel like I've been here forever and that it can't have been only two weeks since I left the United States. I guess that is a good thing though, because I'm still here for another four weeks so if I was tired of Paris already it would be a long spring. Good thing its impossible to get tired of Paris--there are simply too many things to do and to see that you cannot possibly be bored.

Wednesday too turned out to be another chilly day. Thankfully it didn't rain, it was merely overcast and windy all day. On the down side, I still didn't have a jacket, and in Croissy it was a little bit warmer than in Paris when we left in the morning, so I was only wearing a short-sleeved shirt and my light scarf. However, I soon came to find that when the scarf is worn like a shawl it is actually quite warm. So that's what I did for the entire day--snuggled under my scarf and prayed for a sunburst.

After class a small group of us--Judy, Ryan, Meredith, Andrea, Sarah B., Marissa and I--decided to go on the fourteenth walk together, titled: Eighteenth Century Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. We first stopped into a yummy pasta shop for some warm food (I only got a roll and a hot chocolate since I was still full from breakfast), and then headed out to the metro to begin the walk. We did get sidetracked along the way when we passed a little boutique that had clothes for 10e, and a couple girls bought some flats there, but then we continued on our way.

The walk began at Miromesnil metro stop where we then found our way to our first attraction, the Musee Jacquemart-Andre, built between 1869 and 1875. We were given self-guided audio tours of the mansion residence of Edouard Andre and his wife Nelie Jacquemart, which was converted into a public museum in 1913 to display the rich collection of art the couple acquired over their lives. The audio tour was very well done and I enjoyed listening to the stories behind both the artwork displayed and the house itself, making the experience more personal as I was able to connect more with where I was and what I was seeing. The mansion itself is a work of art, it is truly beautiful. Unfortunately pictures were prohibited, but I will try to describe some of it as best I can. The living rooms and personal studies are richly furnished with a tasteful decor augmented by the displays of art pieces. My favorite parts of the home however were the music room which acted as a ball room, and the atrium/stairway. There was a symmetrical winding marble staircase that was so masterfully crafted that instead of feeling heavy and immense, it instead had the effect of creating an impression of lightness and delicacy. Behind the stairway was an Italian fresco imported by the couple from Venice, and the ceiling was of glass because the atrium used house an indoor garden, at the end of which stood the men's smoking room. The music room was also brilliant because it had a cathedral ceiling and a balcony that went all the way around, to which you got to by the aforementioned staircase, which led to the private Italian collections that only close friends and connoisseurs were privileged enough to see. During balls and gatherings an orchestra would play on the balcony and the music would stream down to the gentlemen and ladies mingling below. It was really an inspiring idea and I admit I was tempted to dance here too.

Now for a bit on the actual artwork. It is hard to pinpoint any one thing exactly because there was just so much of it, but among the paintings and sculptures displayed I was impressed by the collections of several works by Van Dyke, Rembrandt, and Boticelli. Not to mention countless other priceless works. Something I found really interesting on the tour was that back then museums were not government subsidized and therefore had very little funding so it was largely up to private collectors to acquire many of the great works. A substantial amount of the works in museums such as the Louvre were donated by art patrons like the Jacquemart-Andres'.

In total it took about two hours to go through the museum, although I really enjoyed it all so it is definitely one I would recommend. After the museum we braved the cool air again and headed over to the Parc Monceau, one of the more beautiful Parisian parks created in the eighteenth century. The funny thing about this park is that there are many ruins that were built as ruins because that motif was very popular in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. Hmm, let's build something that is already ruined. Still, they were fun to look at and we enjoyed pretending to look like old Greek statues when we found an empty stone platform--it was practically begging us to stand on it! We were even innovative enough to attempt the grand feat of fitting six of us on the top, which I am proud to say we duly accomplished and my dream to pose as a Greek statue in Paris was fulfilled. Check.

...Fake ruins...

....I am a natural...

After completing this walk around six o'clock, Sarah and I decided to commence on a search for a coat, a difficult task when it is the middle of May and all the stores are putting out their summer lines. We were able to find racks and racks of bathing suits and beach coverups but the search for jackets was to no avail. The few that were available were either ugly, expensive or some combination of the two. After traversing through about four large stores down the street from the Gallery Lafayette, we unanimously acknowledged defeat and began the hour-long commute home, hungry and coatless.

Back home I made myself a microwave dinner that was at least edible with some bread and yogurt, and settled in for the night. Perhaps tomorrow it would be sunny again in the most beautiful city in the world?