French la Vie

 

The Louvre is a monster in the heart of Paris, beating to the sound of over 30,000 pieces of art. Over 30,000 pieces of art. That means if I spent one mere second looking at each of the 30,000 pieces, it would take me eight hours to see all of them. Eight hours. For fun I looked at each thing for one second. Robotic craziness. Sore eyes that took training not to look longer, nor look at something again. Some things, most things I wanted to stare at forever. Oh but wait I forgot to count walking. 

 

"Duh Corey the 30,000 plus pieces of art are not lined up in a pretty row."

 

 

 

 

 

Walking through its 1,600,000 square feet. Do you know how many miles that is?

I cannot imagine how many brooms have been worn out sweeping.

Then there are the ceilings. No a single simple flat white ceiling in the place.

Between taking one second to look at each thing, plus walking 1,600,000 square feet, plus looking up at the ceilings, and paying attention not to trip…

Days, literally days.

When I was in Paris with my nieces we went to the Louvre, we spent three hours and walked over three miles.  

 

 

 

 

I forgot to add reading the descriptions. Absorbing the facts…

1528 – The Cupid boy at the bottom of the painting is a modern day bomber, 

well, that is what I translated from Allegri's Allegorie des Vices.

 

I smiled for several seconds at my own ding dong joke. Losing time, or I should keep the clock ticking.

 

When going to the Louvre or any museum with Yann, add another ten years of looking to each object. The first time I went to a museum with Yann I was at the exit door and he hadn't even view the first room.

Let's just say he takes a lifetime his time in a museum.

 

 

 

 

But then again I am easily distracted, often carried away seeing reflections…

 

 

 

 

 

 

and then taking photos of reflections, then comparing faux painted marble to real marble, then looking at the detail of the frames, and imaging my hand painting by seeing their brushstrokes, then looking at the scale of the museum, then rearranging the artwork, followed by picking my favorite, and of course looking for the signatures.

Yann studies symbolic meaning, reads the descriptions, looks things up in the guidebooks or online. Educating himself.  

We are on different pages when we go to a museum.

 

 

 

Anyway, going to a museum especially the Louvre takes time.

Add paying attention to the perspective, the balance of the grandiose size of the Louvre and the objects and then, doing it all over again.

 

 

 

Add several more hours. Seriously, how could I look at each thing for a second? That idea lasted a split second.

 

 

 

The details grab me. Hold me. Make me gasp. 

The incredible inspiration that takes time to absorb.

 

 

 

Saint Sebastian, the large wooden frame.

Oh, the frames! My oh my the frames.

 

 

 

The frames alone would are worthy of a museum.

 

 

 

435 rooms, 8 corridors, numerous windows to look out.

Let me just say that there is no way you can see it all in a day or a week.

 

I have been to the Louvre twenty times or more, and it always feels like the first time:

Amazement.

 

 

 

 

Two children stood by a painting and played I spied. I overheard one of them say,

"I spy an angel in a tree."

Now I want to go back, to the monster Louvre, and play I spy in the 435 rooms.