Railway to Beauty

After a very touristy run to the Eiffel Tower, we headed to the Musee de L’Orangerie, a museum at the far end of the Louvre Gardens. It looks like a slight building, and all we knew was that it housed beautiful rooms filled with Monet’s water lily paintings. In fact, though, the Musee de L’Orangerie is an iceberg of a museum, with extensive underground spaces. Still, we started with the water lilies: two elliptical rooms displaying four enormous canvases each of the water lilies Monet so fondly (and repeatedly) painted at Giverny. Monet donated the canvases to the city in the aftermath of the first World War, determined to create a space that felt tranquil, quiet, and safe amid the world’s turmoil. 

The canvases each display the “water garden” at a different time of day, and the effect truly is calming. If I recall correctly, the MoMA in NYC has created a similar room, and I remember how struck I was the first time that I saw it.

Next, we headed downstairs to see the Jean Walter and Paul Guillaume Collection, originally amassed by a Parisian art dealer who represented many famous artists in the city in the 1920s (Renoir, Cezanne, Rousseau, Modigliani, Matisse, Picasso, Derain, etc). It was interesting to see what a professional art dealer would personally collect, since I would have created a very different collection for myself. The exhibit included quotes of why he collected the work certain artists, from their disruptive nature to their unique representations of universal themes. I didn’t find all of them beautiful, but I was intrigued that someone did.

The final exhibit in the museum was a temporary one comprised of American art from the 1930s. The exhibit sought to display various facets of American culture and thought during that time, including the despair of the Great Depression, the rise of new forms of entertainment, and the consequences of increased industrialization. It also included American Gothic, the first time that painting was displayed in Europe. The exhibit included many familiar American names, from O’Keefe to Hopper, but also many artists with whose work I was unfamiliar. It was a good opportunity to broaden our knowledge of American painters.

After L’Orangerie, we wandered the holiday pop-up market in the nearby gardens. It was filled with American holiday music, expats, and tourists. There was mulled wine and cassoulet and an ice skating rink. Josh and I bought a handful of roasted chestnuts (the first time I’ve had them!) to snack on as we wandered to our next destination, the Musee d’Orsay.

Musee d’Orsay, a museum built in 1986 in the space of the former Orsay railway station (originally built 1898-1900). As a result of its former life, the space has a huge open layout in the center, which is perfect for showcasing the impressive statues and paintings inside. Though it is mere blocks from the Louvre, the Musee d’Orsay holds its own; it has the largest collection of Impressionist and post-Impressionist paintings in the world, including those by Manet, Degas, Monet, Renoir, and Cezanne. I had previously visited the Musee d’Orsay with the Glee Club in 2011, but Josh and I hadn’t made it there on our last trip (2013). While there are so many artistic masterpieces at the Musee d’Orsay, some of my favorites were by William Bouguereau. I remembered seeing his work, such as the Birth of Venus, on my last trip. It’s hard to find an image that does the paintings justice, but he captures the light, the expressions, and the mood so perfectly. Make sure to stop by his paintings if you’re ever at d’Orsay.

We had dinner with a friend at his uncle’s house just across the river. The uncle, American-born, had been a practicing lawyer in France for many years. Marrying a lovely French woman certainly had something to do with it, although they had also lived in San Francisco and Hong Kong. Over a home-cooked meal, Josh and I shared stories of our trip and were, in return, regaled with tales of international bridge tournament scandals, thoughts on the refugee mental health crisis, and impressions of various French Prime Ministers. My bewilderment at the 35-hour French work week was a source of constant amusement for my dining companions (the theme reprised frequently throughout the evening). Champagne was poured. Macarons were passed. Toward the end of the meal, we asked our friend’s uncle what he admired most about French culture. He said he had always appreciated how the French prioritized real meals and real conversations. Josh and I, it seems, had our French initiation tonight.

Spotted 1: Scooters. As in, the non-motorized ones that you may have used in middle school. They are a completely acceptable form of transportation here for children and senior citizens alike.

 Spotted 2: French bulldogs. There have been zero poodle sightings, but dozens of French bulldog sightings.  They're even on pillows, vases, and other household decorations.