On Friday 9 May, our students got a private tour of the Louvre, the most-visited museum on the planet.
People know the Louvre for the Mona Lisa (and then ask, “What was that all about?”) and Winged Victory (currently away getting a bath) and roughly a hundred millions pieces of art in a seemingly endless array of hallways and staircases. Whew!
Thus, having a guided tour was a real treat for our students on this year’s study-abroad program for the UF College of Journalism and Communications. We split into five groups to make the tour more personal.
The guide in my group, Joseph, was exceptionally helpful. He explained that Venus de Milo (a statue of Venus found at Milo) is famous not merely for her age but also for her subtlety. Her torso is twisted slightly. She isn’t a straight, smooth figure. And she’s not a “strong” figure with forceful lines. Instead, she’s subtle.
So, too, is Mona Lisa. Joseph said that Leonardo da Vinci smudged the edges of her lips so we could not tell if she is smiling or smirking. Likewise, the lines around her hair are soft. The artist is using subtlety.
I went back to the Louvre two more times over the weekend, on a Paris Museum Pass. I noticed lots of things I had not seen in my four visits in 2009. Even after seven visits in total, I have not seen it all.
Too, the Louvre is changing. Its new Islamic Art exhibit is terrific. And whenever the Louvre updates space or puts in an exhibit, it puts a few signs in English and Spanish rather than only using French.. The Louvre is going global.
People know the Louvre for the Mona Lisa (and then ask, “What was that all about?”) and Winged Victory (currently away getting a bath) and roughly a hundred millions pieces of art in a seemingly endless array of hallways and staircases. Whew!
Thus, having a guided tour was a real treat for our students on this year’s study-abroad program for the UF College of Journalism and Communications. We split into five groups to make the tour more personal.
The guide in my group, Joseph, was exceptionally helpful. He explained that Venus de Milo (a statue of Venus found at Milo) is famous not merely for her age but also for her subtlety. Her torso is twisted slightly. She isn’t a straight, smooth figure. And she’s not a “strong” figure with forceful lines. Instead, she’s subtle.
So, too, is Mona Lisa. Joseph said that Leonardo da Vinci smudged the edges of her lips so we could not tell if she is smiling or smirking. Likewise, the lines around her hair are soft. The artist is using subtlety.
I went back to the Louvre two more times over the weekend, on a Paris Museum Pass. I noticed lots of things I had not seen in my four visits in 2009. Even after seven visits in total, I have not seen it all.
Too, the Louvre is changing. Its new Islamic Art exhibit is terrific. And whenever the Louvre updates space or puts in an exhibit, it puts a few signs in English and Spanish rather than only using French.. The Louvre is going global.
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