The Louvre

I was lucky to be able to visit The Louvre in two occasions this pass month. Needless to say, this was not enough time to see the more than 35,000 objects found at museum nor to walk through the 60,600 square meters. This forced us to select the pieces of art work we desired to see the most. On our first visit, we took line one of the metro and got off on Rivoli. This led us directly to the lower ground floor of the museum. As we were buying our tickets, I could not help but think of how fortunate we were to be able to enter the palace. Previously, this was a privilege that was not given to the public until 1793 by King Louis XVI. To begin our visit, our professor led us onto the ground floor. It was here that we were able to walk through the Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiques. Almost immediately we found ourselves in front of the very famous Venus de Milo that dates from 100 B.C. The marble sculpture is believed to depict Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love and beauty. As we kept walking, we encounter the neoclassical sculpture Cupid’s Kiss by Antonio Canova. This sculpture tells the story of Venus’ son who falls in love with Psyche. The Michelangelo Gallery was found in the next room. Here, we were able to admire the Rebellious Slave and the Dying Slave. Although all of the sculptures were quite different they had several things in common. It becomes evident that the sculptures were meant to instruct the people who saw them and also it is inevitable to disregard the fact that the muscles were never seen being flexed; therefore lacking a sense of movement. For the second part of our visit, we opted going up to the first floor in the Denon wing were the paintings are located. I was thrilled to see once again, what was my favorite paining as a kid, The Crowning of the Empress Josephine by J.L. David. Not far from there, we were able to see the Italian paintings. The images of biblical scenes and saints filled the halls of the early Renaissance. We knew we had arrived to the room where the Mona Lisa by Leonardo de Vinci is located when we saw a huge number of people pushing each other in order to get closer to the painting. It is crazy to think that about a decade ago this was not the case. The Mona Lisa was not surrounded with so much security nor were there as many tourists. Our tour came to an end with the Spanish paintings. As we followed this path it was amazing to see the drift in styles from the classical way of painting to a style that seemed to have more movement. This type of painting was what carved the way for the impressionistic movement. On our second visit we arrived by getting down on the metro stop called Palais Royal. This allowed us to come in through the main entrance and admire the glass pyramid designed by the American architect I.M. Pei. During this visit, we were able to learn about the history of the Louvre by going to the ground floor of the Sully wing. To conclude our visit, we visited the Egyptian Antiques.

The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower: An Enigmatic Cultural Icon The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of Paris is the iconic monument of the Eiffel Tower, designed by architect Alexander Gustave Eiffel, built between the years 1887 and 1889 for the World Fair. Therefore, it is not surprising to learn of the immense number of visitors it receives each year. This summer, my classmates and I were lucky enough to be among the many tourists who visit La Tour Eiffel while staying in Paris. When we arrived at the site it was inevitable to notice how enthusiastic people were about the opportunity of being able to take a picture with the famous tower. At this point, one could not help but wonder if they were excited to take a picture with this monument because it symbolized France’s desire to restore its honor by impressing the world with its advancements or simply because they wanted to amaze their friends by uploading the picture on Facebook. It is truly unfortunate that people visit this iconic monument without truly understanding its significance. Their egocentricity, which revolves on being able to show off to their friends where they have been while not really embracing the culture of the place where they are staying, prevents them from becoming knowledgeable persons. When the tower was first built, in 1887, it was intended to be torn down twenty years afterwards. The building, which is 1,063 feet tall, was built to serve as an entrance to L’Exposition Universelle. The fair, which lasted six months, displayed the best the world had to offer in modernity, including technology and art. The tower was saved because of its utility during World War I where it served as a radio and telegraphic post. Despite the fact that the previous information might seem as fundamental reasons why such a symbolic monument was built, one must seek deeper in history to fully understand what lead to the construction of it. The Eiffel Tower fulfilled the French desire to express Nationalism at a time when it was desperately needed. Napoleon Bonaparte III had been defeated in the Franco-Prussian War and not long after that the French were involved in the bloodiest revolution in their history, the Commune of 1871. La Tour Eiffel was intended to symbolize republican ideas of equality and liberty, therefore also symbolizing the demise of the monarchy. In response to this, the monarchy attempted to boycott the fair but was unsuccessful. Yet above all, the tower was intended to boost the self-esteem of the French who wished to once again show the world what they were capable of. It would be a mistake to speak of the Eiffel Tower without mentioning the amazing telescopic view it provides of the city of Paris. The tower provides visitors with the option of admiring the view from the first, second or third level. One may have access to the first and second floor by climbing around 600 stairs. Access to the third floor is only available through the elevator. Regardless of the way one may choose to go up, it is undeniable that the view is a breathtaking one. At that point, we are allowed to admire the city of Paris as it truly is: a work of art.

Cluny Museum

The Cluny Museum The Cluny Museum, also known as the Museum of the Middle Ages, was built by the Cluny monastic order which believed in finding God through artwork. The pieces of art found in this museum expand from the year 410 to 1300A.D. This was a period that is considered to have little advancement in technology, science, and progressive thinking. It is because of this that this period is sometimes referred to as the Dark Ages. The beautiful pieces of artwork found at the museum makes us want to reject such a term. Although we were not able to see them in our visit, the tapestries of The Women and the Unicorn, are great examples of the beautiful artwork created in Medieval times. The artwork found at this museum is not only meant to be pleasing to the eye but also serves as a documentation of history. The Middle Ages was greatly marked by chivalry, royalty and violence. This becomes evident as we walk through the halls of the museum and see the garments worn by soldiers for battle. To be able to understand why men were willing to risk their lives to fight against the Saxons, Lombards and Moors, we must recall that at that time it was considered a great honor to die fighting for their Lords or Kings. In battle, knights were able to obtain titles of nobility through acts of valor, bravery, and leadership. Such devotion for serving their lords is visible in the painting by Jan Van Eyck titled Knight’s of Christ. It is also important to note that for many of the soldiers who died in the battles raged by their kings and lords, most of them were uneducated peasants who did not know of any other way of living. The greatest honor for them was to die in the name of their lord or king. The church was of great importance during the Middle Ages as it was a place where many devotees of the Catholic Church came to pray. The museum is greatly filled with carved wood and other types of art work that display important biblical scenes. During this time, art was meant to educate the people, as many did not know how to read, and convert them to Christianity. If people failed to convert to Catholicism, they were often executed. It is not surprising to discover the great amount of power the Church possessed considering it was one of the only stable things in people’s lives. During this time, the Black Death was taking many people’s lives and no one could be sure if they would live to see the next sunrise. The Black Plague was one that discriminated no one and rampaged the population of Europe like no other plague had before.

Romanesque and Gothic Churches

On our trip to Paris, we knew we were going to be introduced to many important and historical sites that have been renowned throughout the world. It should be important to mention that at the time that these two great buildings were constructed the world was a very different place than the one we know currently. The Roman Catholic Church was a powerful institution that had reached out to the entire known world and had powerful holdings in most of the kingdoms of Europe. Because of how powerful the Church was, some of the most important and most lavish buildings were churches. Some of these churches have gone through many changes in style like artwork and the influences of the different styles are still evident in some. One that comes to mind that we had the priviledge to see is the Abbey of St Germain des Pres. The Abbey of St Germain des Pres was built in the 6th Century, making it one of the oldest churches in Paris. Because it was almost destroyed by the Normans, Pope Alexander III restored it in the 12th century. It was restored in a period where Gothic style was at its greatest, making the church become a mixture of the Romanesque and the Gothic styles. The Romanesque buildings are characterized by their thick stone walls and wooden ceilings. This style was often referred to as dark because of the lack of windows in the buildings not allowing a lot of light into the churches. Although the church of St Germain des Pres is considered to have some Gothic characteristics, there is a great contrast to the beautiful and typical Gothic cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris. The Notre Dame de Paris is a perfect example of how the nobles attempted to construct churches that resembled the beauty of nature. Gothic style was able to accomplish many things that previous architectural styles had not. The weight of the roofs was now designed to be supported by the arches that were pointed. They also contain flying buttresses that extend outside of the cathedral and rib vaults. Perhaps the biggest and most wonderful accomplishment was the ability to create large windows that allowed light to shine beautifully inside the church. Notre Dame contains three rose windows from the 13th century. It was amazing to see the light shining on the floors of the church at around 6 o'clock. The church also contains the very famous gargoyles which are almost as iconic as the church itself. All of these amazing features could not have become possible without the great engineers of the Medieval times.

Versailles

Versailles Perhaps the only way one could understand the opulence of the palace of Versailles would be to analyze the person responsible for its embellishment. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, was a very egocentric man. This becomes evident as one walks through the halls of the palace and are able to admire the paintings where the King is portrayed next to Roman and Greek gods and goddesses. The Salon of War stood out to me because of the way the king was portrayed as a magnificent being who had obtained victory for France. In his attempt to seem all powerful, he placed close attention to the gardens. The breathtaking view of the 800 hectares with more than 200,000 trees was created to fool people into believing that the monarchy had power even over nature. But why did the king feel the need to demonstrate such power? Versailles is also a consequence of the paranoia of King Louis XIV. The construction of such a magnificent château reflected the king’s fear for revolution. By constructing this castle, he attempted to have control of his possible enemies. As if the beauty of the palace itself wasn’t enough, Louis XIV made sure the best of entertainment was found there. This included everything from opera and ballet to food. By creating royal institutions, such as the Academie Francais, he ensured that the most talented artist worked for him. Unfortunately, the place that had initially helped protect the monarchy turned into the pond where the king found his downfall like in the ancient Greek myth of Narcissus. Kings Louis XV and Louis XVI continued to embellish the palace and in doing so lost track of their people. They failed to realize that people were being influenced by philosophers such as Voltaire and d’Holbach and therefore drowned in revolution that took the lives of the monarchy. The palace of Versailles played a significant role in the French revolution. It was at the palace that in 1789 the “market women” demanded food for their children. Their clear intention was to kill Queen Marie Antoinette. It was after this that King Louis XVI and Queen Marie Antoinette were taken to Paris where they were later on executed. Unfortunately, history of this dark past was not visible anywhere in the museum. None of the 6,000 paintings found in the palace portray anything other than glorious victories. This could be due to the fact that the palace was turned into a museum by King Louis-Philippe after the restoration of the monarchy. Despite the fact that we discussed the History of Versailles and its magnificence, it would be a lie to claim I was not astonished by it the first time I saw it. It was not until then that the term "embarrassment of riches", that our professor had been using, took its meaning. As I looked around, I saw the same expression of mixed feelings. In my classmates faces you could see a sense amazement but also disgust, for it was inevitable to think of all the people who were, at the time of its construction, dying of hunger. I could not imagine the great impotence felt by the women who were at the gate demanding food for their starving children while the monarchy lived in great luxuriousness. By visiting this palace, I was not only able to see the way the monarchy lived but I was also able to understand a little more of the causes of the French Revolution.

The Pantheon

The Pantheon: The Enlightenment, the Rise of Science and Individual Having been to the Pantheon in Rome and the Pantheon in Athens gave me a false understanding of what the Pantheon in Paris would be like. I was expecting it would be a temple where Greek or Roman deities were worshiped and instead found a place where normal human beings were being honored. To my great surprise, the 73 men and women being honored were neither Kings nor Queens, but heroes of the republics. They are considered heroes because of their great contributions in the areas of science, literature, philosophy, among others. The Pantheon was originally built as a church dedicated to Saint Genevieve, the patron saint of Paris, but after the French Revolution it was transform into a mausoleum. What makes the building so unique are the uncovered murals wrapping around its walls. On these walls, you can still see the paintings depicting biblical scenes but in the back, where you will normally see an altar, there is a statue of lady liberty which symbolizes the end of the monarchy and by consequence, also the great power the Roman Catholic Church had in France during the time of the monarchy. The Pantheon is meant to celebrate the drastic change from religion and superstition to science, reasoning and observation which can be seen as synonym for when the world moved from the Dark Ages into the Renaissance. Not long ago, the center point at the Pantheon had been a pendulum created by the physicist Leon Foucault to demonstrate the rotation of the earth. Another fact that might be interesting to those who are attracted in science, is that the Pantheon is the final resting place for the scientist couple, Marie and Pierre Currie. As they both devoted their lives to science, they were awarded the Nobel Prize for their research in radiation. Other people who are celebrated in the Pantheon who also used observation and analysis, like scientists, but reached different conclusions in regards to society are philosophers. Buried in the Pantheon is one of the France’s most famous philosophers, Voltaire. In accordance to him, humans need someone to follow because they are constantly distracted by unimportant things. The Pantheon is also intended to celebrate creativity and great imagination. It is therefore not surprising to know that at some point it was also the home of the famous sculpture The Thinker by August Rodin. Among some of the writers buried at the Pantheon is Victor Hugo, the author of the famous books Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre-Dame. Alexander Dumas, the author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo, was not buried at the Pantheon until 2002, 132 years after his death. This was due to the fact that his father was the son of a slave.