Balzer Designs

Musee de L'Orangerie

The famous Musee de L'Orangerie in Paris is known for its two oval rooms, each featuring four paintings by Monet.  You can read all about the specificity of the installation here.  It was quite wonderful to be surrounded by Monet's serene water lillies.  Take a peek (you'll notice that there's a photo that doesn't belong to Monet's water lillies -- 5 photos down -- but more about that in a minute):

I enjoyed the water lillies.  But I loooooved the exhibit in the basement.  Just eye candy everywhere.  We begin with the straight-on view of that one-of-these-things-is-not-like-the-others photo of a Joan Mitchell painting:

I find Chaim Soutine's work quite compelling.  His landscapes and figures always look windswept.

I know Andre Derain for his Fauvian landscapes.  I was quite interested to see his other work.  It feels so different!

I'm pretty sure that I stumbled up the stairs, out of the basement full of masterpieces, just drooling.  I was blown away.  I loved the way the exhibit was arranged -- by artist.  It really gave me a chance to bathe in each artist's unique style.  Swoon.

Do you have a favorite?  I'd love to know!

Rodin Museum in Paris

The Rodin Museum in Paris is dedicated to the famed sculptor (and one of my personal faves): Auguste Rodin.  In the museum (a "hotel" he shared with other artists as a home and workshop space) you can see his sculpture, practice bits and pieces, and his personal collection of art by other artists (including Monet, who stayed there for some time).  The building is beautiful.  The grounds are filled with his sculpture and the outdoor setting is magical.  Rodin's most famous works are The Thinker, The Kiss, and The Gates of Hell -- all on view at The Rodin Museum.  Take a peek:

Rodin's sculpture is so lifelike that it's difficult not to want to engage with the statues -- to ape the body positions and otherwise interact with them.




I'm fleeing from the gates of hell! 😜

It was a wonderful visit.  Not my first time at the Rodin Museum and not my last.  It's a Paris favorite!

As a side note, if you're interested in trying your hand at sculpture, Cheryl Boglioli shows how easy it is to make a sculpture (starting with tinfoil!) in this video from Make It Artsy:

Thanks for stopping by!

Musee d'Orsay: Part Two

Let's head back to the Musee d'Orsay.  There's so much more art to see!

Funny story about this Winslow Homer painting (below).  You may recall that I went to an hour-long lecture all about this painting back in March 2017.  At the time, I remember thinking: It's so lucky that I'm seeing it here while it's on loan because I'll probably never see it in Paris, where it lives.  Well...I got to see it in Paris!


Can we talk about Manet?  Manet is not Monet (of the water lillies).  Manet is a master of portraits and the d'Orsay has a massive collection of his work.  The MFA, here in Boston, has one tiny portrait of his on display.  I stare at it often.  On this visit, I was blown away by the sheer volume of Manet's work that I got to see in person!


I love his finished/unfinished style.  I love the direct gaze of his sitters.  I love the storytelling in his paintings.

I do not get the fuss over Renoir.  Does that sound terrible?!  To me, his work just feels bleary and bloated.

This rhino stands outside the Musee d'Orsay.  It's by Jacquemart.  And then, as you'll see from the photos, lots more sculpture follows when you enter the museum.





The portrait above is a Manet.  Again, so fantastic!  How can a black coat be interesting and yet it is!


We will get to Monet's water lillies when we visit Musee de L'orangerie, but until then here are Monet's portraits and landscapes:




I have seen plenty of Toulouse-Lautrec's famous posters, but surprisingly few of his original paintings and drawings.  I loved them.

So, if I tell you that I took photos of about 1/3 of what I saw and we didn't see the whole museum...maybe that gives you a sense of what a deep and vast collection the d'Orsay has!?

Of all the museums we visited, it's the one I would get a membership to (if I lived in Paris) so that I could come back all the time! 

So are you team Monet or team Manet?  

Thanks for stopping by!

Musee d'Orsay: Part One

The Musee d'Orsay was not on my "must visit" list, but it may have been my favorite of the museums we visited in Paris.  

I have seen lots and lots of Cézanne landscapes and still lifes, but I have not seen a lot of his portraiture and I loooove it!  See if you agree:
 

And, of course, his landscapes and still lifes (and yes, I looked it up: the plural of "still life" is still lifes not still lives).




I have always looooved Gaugin.  Not as a human being, because there are some issues there.  But, as a painter.  Swoon.  I was quite familiar with his paintings from his time in Tahiti...


...but this exhibit contained an enormous number of his pastels of the French countryside.  I had never seen them.

They were displayed alongside the most impressive collection of van Gogh's I've ever been privileged to see in real life.  And the similarities in the two painter's styles is striking.






Sigh.  Every last painting so divine.  I just want to dive into the colors and rub my hands all over that beautiful textured paint.  Unappreciated in his lifetime, vanGogh's genius inspires me in so many ways.  I love his backgrounds, his colors, his transitions, his composition...I love it all!

See anything you like?  I'd love to know what's inspiring you!

I'll be back tomorrow with more from the Musee d'Orsay!

Thanks for stopping by!

Louvre: Part Two

Are you ready for some artwork?! Today I have more photos from The Louvre -- starting with a pastel exhibit that I really enjoyed, moving through some religious art, checking out the Mona Lisa madness, and then portraits, pottery, more portraits, some Impressionist work, and a framing exhibit.  I love framing.  It's fascinating!

Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy!

So how many monkeys did you see?  There are a surprising number of them in paintings.  I became so curious about monkeys as pets after this visit, that I did a little googling.  I thought this article was interesting.  I hope you find it interesting too.

I think we often look at art as an aesthetic experience, but in many ways it's an historical document.  I don't always gravitate towards some of these styles of art from an aesthetic point-of-view but I love them as a window into a time long gone.  Paintings tell stories.  I'm eager to listen.

Thanks for stopping by!