Museum reviews: The Musee dOrsay, Paris, France
October 30, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Impressionist
The Musee d’Orsay is the second most well stocked museum in the world right next to the Louvre itself. It is an enormous museum that specializes in famous art created from the late 19th to early 20th century. It contains pieces by Van Gogh, Renoir, Manet Monet, and many other masters. As one traveller put it, “If it is not in the Louvre, it is in the Musee d’Orsay!”
The most noteworthy aspect of this museum is one that differentiates it from all others of its kind. The Museum is actually housed in an old railroad station and thus the building itself becomes half the attraction, art in and of itself.
It specifically shows art created from 1848 to 1914. The categories are vast but a sampling of them reveals emphasis on Decorative Arts, History, Literature, Furniture, Painting, Photography, and Sculpture.
As far as specific pieces it contains many that are considered the best representations of the Impressionist (Manet, Monet, Renoir) and Expressionist (Van Gogh) movements. Even someone who would not normally feel inclined to travel to a museum would find great value in something at the museum; if not the pieces, in the unique structure of the building itself. This is one of the few museums that has the potential to turn virtually anyone into an art lover!
If I had recommend one piece for the reader to check out it would be Vincent Van Gogh’s self portrait. It is a brilliant piece and one of the best of his great and storied career. “Blue Waterlillies” by Monet (1919). The museum also houses his excellent Rouen Cathedral’ series in its entirety! The highlight of the Rodin collection in the Orsay museum is the monumental composition called The Gates of Hell’ and they also contain The Thinker, which even non enthusiasts are well acquainted with. Rodin’s works are especially monumental to the point of almost overwhelming the viewer.
This is one of the best museums on the planet and should be recommend to everyone. It’s common to hear people sigh about the Musee d’Orsay, saying they preferred it even to the Louvre. Although much smaller than the Louvre, those comments are understandable, given the concentration of beautiful 18th and 19th century artwork and the variety of the pieces. It is really a matter of preference, but everyone who knows art knows this was one of the best periods on the timeline, and this museum captures the era in epic fashion. You have to see it at least once in your lifetime.
Wholesale Paintings, Products Of Quality
September 12, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Impressionist
If we travel around the globe, we will note that the most important museums are located in Europe. If you are an art lover and have the chance of travel to this continent, you ought to take a small tour for these places. This time we have a stop in France, Paris, Musee d’Orsay or Orsay Museum is our destination. Find realistic art reproductions in Wholesale Paintings.
Situated in France’s capital, on the left bank of the Seine River, The Orsay Museum is housed in the former railway station, the Gare d’Orsay. The Orsay Museum contains mainly French art dating from 1848 to 1915, including paintings, furniture, sculptures, and photography. It is possibly best known for its broad compilation of impressionist masterpieces by painters such as Monet, Cezanne, Renoir and Degas. This French museum opens everyday from 9.30am to 6pm except Monday; don’t forget to consult the schedule.
You can find identical paintings of diverse painters in Wholesale Paintings. It was in 1977 when the French Government decided to convert the train station to a museum. Works like The Artist’s Studio (by Gustave Courbet), The Birth of Venus (by Alexandre Cabanel), Trouville Beach (by Eugene Boudin), White Frost (by Camille Pissarro), Apples and Oranges (by Paul Cézanne), The Floor Planers (by Gustave Caillebotte), Self Portrait, The Siesta, The Church at Auvers, View from the Chevet, The Italian Woman, Starry Night Over the Rhone (by Vincent Van Gogh) and The Charge (by André Devambez) are part of the big art collection in the museum.
The Orsay Museum also presents fine sculpture of various artists; Paul Gauguin is one of them. As you can see, this museum is very complete, take a tour through the history of Paris in Orsay Museum. Wholesale Paintings is the best option to find artworks.
Station Museum – the Gare D’orsay
June 9, 2009 by Portrait Painter
Filed under Impressionist
The GARE D’ORSAY is museum which has been built in what used to initially be a train station, the building itself is exceptional and interesting. The museum has an extraordinary art collection, which dates back to the early 19th century. However its fame lies in its magnificent impressionist and neo-impressionist collection. The museum also endeavor to promote art by organizing festivals, special shows, exhibitions, conferences and concerts on a regular basis.
Jacques Chirac, who was once the mayor of Paris got the abandoned Orsay train station converted into a world class museum. The building itself is a beautiful site and mark of respect to the great rail stations of Europe. As soon as one enters, climb to the top of the staircase and look back to envision trains entering and exiting the station. The starting point start of the visit can be on the top floor and work one’s way down. The Impressionist works including those by Monet, Renoir and van Gogh, is very well known at this museum. There is also a wonderful Art Nouveau section. Finally the café is a nice place for a light lunch, offering views of the Right Bank through the station’s giant clock.
With nearly a hundred works using many different techniques, the Rodin/Carrière exhibition is a rare opportunity to compare a painter and a sculptor who were linked by a deep friendship and strong stylistic affinities.
The current President of France, Jacques Chirac, was once the mayor of Paris. One of his greatest achievements as mayor was the conversion of the once abandoned Orsay train station into a world class museum. The building itself is a beautiful site and tribute to the great rail stations of Europe. Upon entering, climb to the top of the staircase and look back to envision trains entering and exiting the station. Now you can start your visit on the top floor and work your way down. The museum is most famous for its Impressionist works including those by Monet, Renoir and van Gogh, just to name a few. There is also a wonderful Art Nouveau section. Finally the café is a nice place for a light lunch, offering views of the Right Bank through the station’s giant clock.
With nearly a hundred works using many different techniques, the Rodin/Carrière exhibition gives a rare opportunity to compare a painter and a sculptor who were linked by a deep friendship and strong stylistic similarity. The museum also strives to promote art by organizing festivals, special shows, exhibitions, conferences and concerts on a regular basis.
Shining on the gallery walls, the paintings reveal idyllic and rural scenes, and abstract and cubist art. This enormous variety of art reflects the tension between adhering to the old aesthetics and absorbing the new era. Placidly spread throughout the first floor, the early mid-19th century paintings are visions of ideal beauty. In Alexandre Canabel’s Birth of Venus, a world of fair goddesses and mythic heroes float in front of one’s eyes.
Before long people had had enough of fantasy-land and in came a new movement – Realism. Realism shows the hardships of everyday life. On the third floor, the fresh life of photography breathed new vitality into painting. Art could not continue to record reality when the camera did that flawlessly.
The grand effect of the Railway station turned to a museum is a treat for modernists and traditionalists alike having an airy, beautiful station of pillars and stucco rosettes, with an enormous glass-arched ceiling that flooded it with natural light.