We missed the Lourve yesterday, and we were not about to miss it again today. The Metro subway station at Musee Du Lourve is connected directly to the underground entrance to the museum. So getting there via the Metro is a breeze. The picture below shows an inverted pyramid structure (part of the exterior design by renown architect, IM Pei) that allows sunlight to filter through to the basement entrance at an angle. The proportion of the structure and the play of shadows give it an awesome sight.
A visit to this museum can be overwhelming for most people, and it's not surprising to hear that many tourists are put off by the idea that they may have to spend at least half a day here to make the visit worthwhile. But I will say that it's worth every penny and one should never rush a visit to the Lourve.
The museum is divided into several wings, each housing a massive collection of the world's richest historical heritage, from paintings to sculptures and ancient artefacts of every civilizations known to mankind. The picture above shows the expansive limestone steps leading to the Denon Wing that houses the world's most famous paintings. There were many artists at work today in the museum. It's an honor to witness their amazing skills at work as seen in these pictures below.
An artist is seen here reproducing the famous self-portrait of Rembrant.
The Lourve is busy the whole year round, and is probably one of the most visited museum of arts in the world. It's also a great place for art students to do field work.
The picture below shows an identical painting of Napoleon's coronation found in the Palace of Versailles.
There is also a permanent collection of Picasso's paintings of nude human forms. Yan and I have seen many of such Picasso paintings of that period when Picasso arts were in exhibition in Vienna 2 years ago. I must confess that I could not quite appreciate this form of art. To me, Picasso's twisted mind is just too disturbing.
Of course a visit to Lourve would not be complete without seeing the world's most overrated painting, i.e. Leonardo Da Vinci's painting of Mona Lisa. Owing much to its popularity (especially after Dan Brown's novel and Hollywood's blockbuster film, the Da Vinci Code), the painting is now put under heightened security, with a large clearance area created around it to prevent anyone from getting too close. I am glad I have been here before all these hoo-hah.
There were just too many paintings worthy of mention that it'll be foolhardy for me to claim that I have seen them all. Below are a small sampling of paintings that have captured my imagination today.
Apart from its vast collection of arts and artefacts, the building itself is worthy of attention. Frescoes paintings on the ceilings of some of the rooms here are as magnificent as those found in other parts of Europe.
As I have mentioned earlier, there's every form of art for everyone here. Enthusiasts of Egyptian artefacts and mummies would not be disappointed.
Virtually every civilizations and cultural periods are represented in this great museum.
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