Disneyland Paris: The 2nd Most Magical Place on Earth

A year ago, if someone told me I’d be spending the next summer in Paris, attending dinner cruises, driving rental cars through the Italian countryside, and going to Disneyland in Paris, I’d probably laugh in your face and tell you that you were insane. But lo and behold, here I am, having done all those things.

      I haven’t been to Disneyland in YEARS. I mean, we’re talking since I was 7. All I can remember is Cruella Devil playing with my hair when we took a picture, and crying on some alien ride. (Maybe I just have terrible memory? Or that one ride really scarred me.) I’m not the biggest Disney fan, but play the “Jungle Book” soundtrack and I’ll be screaming my head off along with it. The key differences I could point out to you would be Sleeping Beauty’s castle, which is a lot more pink and small (duh), and EVERYTHING is in French. (even bigger duh) But really, when you go on the “Peter Pan” kiddie ride, they start talking and it’s a weird experience because that was NOT his voice and NOT the words I’m used to. It’s extremely odd to hear your favorite song from childhood in a different language.

 IT’S SO PINK.

 Never have I ever seen a black burger that’s not burnt. It was titled “Dark Vader Burger”…How cool is that?!

There was one section in the park where it was solely dedicated to American architecture. They had photos of the Statue of Liberty and details of her architecture. I thought it was slightly odd since there is no Disneyland in NY.  They had wrought-iron beams and baseball-themed restaurants, all of which is very American.

The classic Walt and Mickey statue.

     Some things that seemed very odd to me, and that appeared to be very “French”:  They sold beer at the restaurants, (I’m not sure if they do this in America, but it seemed extremely odd to sell beer at an amusement park for kids.) they had a ton of rides that were broken down or had “technical difficulties” resulting in a 2 hr wait time, and last but not least, PIZZA PLANET WAS CLOSED. What’s up with that?!

Graffiti in Paris

Not necessarily graffiti, but awesome lettering!

Musee D’Orsay

This past Tuesday my Art in Life class went on a field trip to the Musee D’Orsay. The museum was originally built as a train station in 1900 ( Gare D’Orsay) to mail out packages to prisoners of war during WWII and also served as a set for several films, but soon converted into a museum in 1986. The idea was to make a museum that fell in between the works of the Louvre and the National Museum of Modern Art. I was really impressed with the artwork displayed at this museum, and I was particularly fond Monet’s landscapes and Van Gogh’s selfies.

Claude Monet: Coquelicots (Poppy Field). Claude Monet moved to  Argenteuil after living in England until 1871. The bright landscapes inspired him, and this piece soon became one of his most famous works. He diluted the colors and made it a point to have large patches of paint in the foreground to add to the impressionism. 1873, oil on canvas.

Gustave Courbet: La Falaise d’Etretat apres l’orange (The Etretat cliffs after the storm) I was particularly drawn to this picture due to its calm appearance (despite the title of the work) and the fact that I was going there this weekend! Courbet lived in his house by the sea, and painted the cliffs multiple times, but this was the painting that stood out among the rest. 1870, oil on canvas.

Joaquin Sorolla: The study for The Comeback of the Fisheries. Oil on Canvas, 1894.

Van Gogh: Portrait of Madame Ginoux, a painting out of a group of 6 that Van Gogh painted. The lady in the painting was married to Joseph-Michel Ginoux, and they both ran a cafe that Van Gogh stayed at for a short time period.  Painted in 1888, oil on canvas.

Gustave Guillaumet: Evening Prayers in the Sahara was sold to the State for 400 francs, thus beginning the start of Guillaumet’s career. Most of his works portray the cruel way of life in the desert and how it actually is in reality. I particularly liked this one for its serene and calm atmosphere and they use of color palette. My eye is drawn to the man in the center uplifting his hands toward the heavens, and the way Gustave painted his facial expression.  1863 Alphonse Osbert: Vision. This painting really caught my eye due to its hazy, dream-like landscape, and the woman’s facial expression as she looks above. To me it came off as extremely  eerie but captivating. 1892, oil on canvas.

La Fete Nationale

Commonly referred to as “Bastille Day” in the United States, La Fete Nationale is France’s independence day, celebrating the storming of the Bastille on July 14, 1789. France’s military also does a parade each year, as well as a fly-over. “It (the storming of the Bastille) marked the end of absolute monarchy, the birth of sovereign Nation, and the creation of the Republic.” (http://french.about.com/od/culture/a/bastille-day.htm) King Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette were ruling at the time, and an outraged mob stole around 28,000 rifles from Invalides gunpowder from Bastille. It was the symbol of the King’s absolute power, so they decided to attack it, thus proving their point of taking down the monarchy.

Many  Parisians (as well as thousands of tourists) gather together each year to celebrate this day by shooting off thousands of euros worth of fireworks from the Eiffel Tower to display their pride and joy of freedom. This year I was among the 500,000 people to gather and watch the fireworks explode, which was quite an experience I will never forget.

A nice cup of hot chocolate from Angelina’s to start off the day

A quick tour of the Musee D’Orsay to view an exhibit of impressionism artwork

Of course, the famous firework show

The Bastille Day military parade (image:http://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/photo-gallery/30981511/image/30986079/Bastille-Day-parade-drew-crowds-people-Paris)

The storming of the Bastille painting (Image: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storming_of_the_Bastille#/media/File:Prise_de_la_Bastille.jpg)

An Art of it’s own: Fashion in Paris

By far the most difficult post I’ve had to do so far. It was extremely difficult trying to take not-so-obvious photos of Parisian’s in their everyday attire! I felt terribly awkward whipping out my phone (or camera) to snap a picture of them as they passed by or relaxed on the metro for a few seconds.

It’s hard to see, but i LOVE this woman’s pants! They were bright yellow and patterned colorful wildflowers. She tops it off with a chic navy blazer and sandals.

I don’t exactly think I like this woman’s outfit, but it happens to be pretty popular here in Paris. A long romper paired with winter ankle boots in 90 degree weather? I’ll pass.

I

Another popular piece of clothing here.  There is a wide range of religious beliefs here, and you can definitely tell by the way they dress.

Oh my. That is all I have to say. Cheetah print T shirt, rip-off jean shorts, and navy paisley shoes.

And alas. The epitome of how a French woman dresses. (at least in the movies and books anyway) Fit-and-flare tea-length dresses, red and white striped shirts, and big over-dramatic hats for strolling in the park. *Sigh*.

Basilica Cathedral of St. Denis

The Gothic style St Denis cathedral was quite extraordinary. It is the first Gothic cathedral to be built, by St Denis himself. St. Denis was a martyr for Christianity, and the cathedral is a burial place for French monarchy today. I was in awe at the amazing burial places for these French kings and queens. They were so extravagant with their burials and made it a point to make it above and beyond. I was also amazed by the stained glass windows that lined the church near the ceiling. Each individual one told its own story by the defining shapes and colors.

The pointed archs along the side of the building were invented to keep the weight centered and from collapsing. They allowed the cathedral’s structure to go much higher than previous churches built in that time.

King Louis XVI and Mary Antoinette kneel before the alter

The nave of the cathedral (above)

 The rose window was one of the most prominent features that stood out to me. The amount of work I imagined it took for them to place this enormous window inside a cathedral baffles me. The rose window is usually placed at the west side of the cathedral, but this is not always the case. They are typically elaborated with stained glass and concrete beams on the outside to support the weight.

Stained glass windows

Food in Paris

Little gelato shop beside the Eiffel Tower

Macarons from Laduree

 

Cold cut meat meal from L’Avant-Comptoir

Cheese from Fromagerie Goncourt

Amorinono ice cream

and another picture of the macarons because they’re THAT good.

Musee du Louvre

My first impression of the Louvre was a bit overwhelming. SO many paintings in such a HUGE space that ranges from multiple time periods. How could one cover it all in a few hours? Well, you simply cannot. But while I was there I stumbled across several thought-provoking paintings that completely blew me away.

To begin, The Study of Hands by Nicolas de Largilliere was quite astounding. Found in a small room on the 3rd level with hardly a person in sight hung this little painting. Nicolas created this in 1715 and it is done in oil, but other than that there is very little information about the piece. I believe the reason this piece stood out to me so much was because it had a very realistic/3-D appearance to it. If you could stare at it in real life, you would be able to notice the smooth texture and contrasting shapes that appear alive.

 

Another painting that moved me was Magdalena Bay by Auguste Francois Biard.  It was painted in 1840. To me, the colors and mood of the painting were so realistic that I could almost feel the freezing snow and wind blowing in the Arctic. I thought it was tragically beautiful, and almost somewhat serene.

The last piece that really astounded me was Scene From a Deluge by Girodet in 1806. The medium is in oil on an extremely large canvas. The painting is so moving, for one because of its mere size, and another, the story you perceive from looking at it. The look of horror on the faces are terrifying, and it makes you wonder what the situation is at hand. You can tell the man being torn away from the woman (and perhaps his children) is in complete anguish; fearing for his life.

 

Picture Theme

Formal Elements:

Line

 

Value

   

Space

Shape

 

Color

  

Texture

Form

Principles of Design:

Balance

Contrast

Movement

Emphasis

Pattern

          

Proportion

Unity

Slowing Down in a Museum

Though it may seem like an odd title, it has often been proven true. How many times do we Americans (as well as the rest of the world) really slow down and notice what you’re looking at? I’m extremely guilty of this myself. I honestly can’t remember the last time I took my time on a specific painting or drawing in  museum. Too much to do, too much to see, I would always find myself whizzing past the pieces of art. The Art of Slowing Down in a Museum by Stephanie Rosenbloom truly hit home to me. The last time I went to a museum was last month at the Hunter Museum of American Art  in downtown Chattanooga. I never thought to slow down and admire the pieces of work individually until now. They all seemed to “flow together” after a while of mumbo-jumbo colors and patterns. I think I would be able to truly focus on what spoke to me rather than the what I thought ought to speak to me. They key is to take your time and think about the different works of art, rather than rushing your way through the whole museum. I’ll take my own advice as well and maybe next time I’ll slow down to appreciate artists.