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PARIS ~ vol. trois
Okay...again....drum roll please.....
HAPPY BIRTHDAY MAMA! My mom is having her 54th (hehehehhheee dont worry Ma, your secrets safe with me!) birthday tomorrow! My mom is the greatest! Yes I know everyone says that, but, no really mine is the best. You have no idea how supportive she (and my Pop of course!!) has been through thick and thin. And life aint always been a bed of roses for her but she has always kept her focus. And that is the one thing I feel I've always kept close in mind that one needs to keep at things, even when they are not going where you want them to. She is a model of patience, god knows she has to, she is married to my crazy Pappy, and she has a creative streak in her a mile wide (that's the side of the family my art comes from, the wild beastie in me lurks in my Pappy's side). Mom, I wish you were here to celebrate your birthday with me in Paris, but you know what?? Celebrating in your back/jungle/yard will do just fine when I get back. Love ya Ma!!
Look Ma...I got you some flowers!!!! You'll have to wait till I get back for the present!
A day in Paris at the Musee de l'Orangerie....
A warm baguette, a nice shot of hot French coffee and a quick ride down the Seine on the subway to visit the Monet waterlillies that reside at the Orangerie. I bet the vast majority of people who know these works through poster, post-card, prints etc. have NO IDEA how huge they are. Their scale is breath taking and the display which is in an oval room surrounds you with them. The biggest ones are approximately 18' long and 6' high. Their impact is even greater when one considers the circumstances that these incredibly ambitious works were done in:
~ his eyesight was seriously failing at the time (he later had two operations for cataracts) ~ he was in his late 70's after recovering from a deep depression following the death of his wife. ~ he accomplished these incredible paintings in Giverny a mere 90 miles from the Western Front while the Great War raged. He felt sheepish about continuing to make art while tens of thousands of men were being butchered every couple of months.
To my way of thinking these works are the dreams of peace of an old man. He had seen his country ravaged by war once when he was young (the Franco Prussian War in the early 1870's), and he was witnessing an even greater tragedy in his autumn years. Visiting these 8 massive works one feels in the presence of so much....beauty, greatness, passion, imagination, and daring. Make no mistake these works are not the stodgy end of career wind down of a previously famous artist who has had his day. In some ways these monumental works are his crowning achievement.
I also forgot to mention that the Orangerie has a wonderfully concise collection of impressionistic and early 20th century works on display. In particular I was taken by the Renoirs. I've never been too fussy on his work and most art critical historians tend to see him as somewhat fluffy...particularly in his subject matter. However, the works were so incredible beautifully rendered and sensual it is hard not to give him his due.....
....and here is one especially for my dear friend Jamie, maybe this will keep his single butt off the porn sites!! I call it Renoir Pour Jamie!
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Night & day at Notre Dame....
Alright I've already run off at the mouth about the Monet paintings so I will keep these observations brief and let the pics tell the story. Here are a selection of photos taken of Notre Dame, some at night including some spectacular shots of street performers doing pyromaniacal performances and a series of shots documenting the following days visit up the cathedral tower, and inside the almost 1000 year old building.
The Grand old Lady at night.
This guy specialized in juggling and spinning small mace-like metal balls at the end of chains that were on fire.......
...........oh yeah...he liked fireworks too! And so did we, he got quite the round of applause.
The Hotel de Ville and fountains on my way home from my night time visit with Notre Dame.
The next day I visited with the purpose of going up the Towers of Notre Dame and visiting the interior of this magnificent structure. See this kind of work, and the fact that it took the better part of 200 years to build leaves one quite moved and humbled. Keep your eyes open below for the two images that are linked to sound samples. Simply click on the images to hear what I heard while the photos were being snapped.
Ascending the tower.
Some of the residents of the towers. Unless you go up the towers you dont have a clear idea of how entirely encrusted it is with all manner of fantastic beasts, animals, monsters of all descriptions. Many of these odd inhabitants reside in and around the gallery area that joins the two towers about half way up the building.
Notre Dame's second most famous resident after Quasimodo.
This fellow is sticky his tongue out at the Cite Internationale des Arts, where I am staying. Little bastid!!!
One of the tower residents with an appetite. At first I thought he was munching on some poulet tartare...
.....then I saw this little fellow getting a good bite in on his diner before he is officially a meal. I'm not sure what kind of animal he is, probably imaginary, but he had a bit of a dog thing going.
The bell tower that started tolling while I stood in front of it. CLICK ON THE PICTURE TO HEAR IT!!!! Dont turn your speakers up, it is loud.
View from the top looking across the crossing of the cathedral.
Me on top of the tower, the studio facility I am staying in is more or less coming out of my left ear!
And back down to tour the inside. As you can see it is quite a tight space. Not for the claustrophobic, or unhealthy as there are about 422 steps.
A view down the nave looking towards the altar.
The ceiling above the crossing looking at one of the transepts, and one of the rose windows.
View of one of the rose windows next to the altar at the crossing.
The ceiling of one of the transepts showing the crossing and one of the rose windows to the right. CLICK ON THIS PICTURE TOO to see what I was hearing as I took this picture.
The rose window on the Seine side of the cathedral.
Reflection of some of the stained glass windows in the water of a small font near the main entrance.
And out the door I go. About 18 feet high, I wouldn't want this one slammed in my face, or on my foot!
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