15.2.11

The Louvre





The ultimate art experience


Since the late 12th century the place to see and be seen in the art world has been the Louvre.
The western side of the city is where it all began and as time went by so did the additions to the museum.The interesting bit of info is how a once dark and primitive location grew into the chateau and palace of the sun king, Louis XIV. With all the history and rich cultural inhabitants, it is amazing how the structure has been in use and occupants since 1793.



How about a little field trip to the Louvre this morning?

 The month of February is always a really good time to reflect on the classics and the statues created around love. These are some of my favorite carvings, sculptures and in the end a little treat if you are going to Paris in the near future.







Aphrodite in the Louvre as shot by LIFE magazine.








A close up from Children at Play sculpture.






The foot of an Egyptian statue.

 I love the angle of this photograph by Jenny Liu.







Detail of Trompe l' oeil on the portion of staircase in the Louvre.






Venere di Milo







Trio of beauty in the Louvre.





The Tree by Penone in the courtyard of the Louvre.







Sacre Couer entrance into the Louvre.






Detail in the Statue Gallery.








Statue of Artemis in the gallery of the Louvre.








Statues overlooking the lay of the land from the balcony of the Louvre coffee shop.








A pulled back gallery view of Artemis and architectural elements.









1840, Rodin's Gates of Hell.








As an avid collector and hunter of items and antiquities, the thought of what is beneath these sheaths of white is intriguing to me.
 This is part of collections being unearthed and revealed for upcoming exhibits in the Louvre.









There you go, the Louvre in some of it's glory and a few samplings of the very items in permanent collections for your viewing. These ornamental freeze sculptures and caryatid figural statues are so inviting and interesting to my eye. Every detail is a well though of and important piece in the facade of this symphony.



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As an encore, if you go to Paris there is an interesting place to stay and have a birds eye view into the Louvre.
 The Hotel du Louvre has a interesting and very unique position and view of the Louvre.







Image of the hotel in 1855, opened for accommodation for the International Exhibition opening in Paris the same year.
The 700 room hotel was the first of it's kind in France, and the first Grand Hotel in Paris.








The Hotel as it stands now, srtraddles the Place Andre' Malraux as shown by Gilt.









One of the 173 rooms in the Hotel de Louvre.

A beautiful place to lay your head after a long day of taking in art and architecture at the Louvre.








The brasserie in the hotel.
 A perfect place to have some French cuisine and a little French champagne.

Let's see I am thinking of booking soon, as rates are sure to go up, up and up!




Hotel du Louvre, The Louvre,jetsetter.com















7 comments:

quintessence said...

What a lovely vicarious museum visit!! All beautiful images of classic timeless art!!

Pierre Fauret, Hôtel du Louvre said...

Hi Leslie,
Thank you for tour article about our hotel.
We would like you to know that you made a little mistake with the photos : the entrance's picture isn't our hotel ! You can find a good one in our Flickr photo pool (http://www.flickr.com/groups/hotel-louvre/pool/) Feel free to ask us permission to use them.
By the way, as a lover of French design, did you know that our Brasserie was redecorated by Marc Hertrich ?
Best regards,
Pierre Fauret, Hôtel du Louvre

La Maison Fou said...

Q~

Such a lovely place to go and rest and watch!

L.

La Maison Fou said...

Pierre~
Love the htel and it is amazing that it has stood the test of time.
The brasserie is fabulous and yes, I did read about it's recent face lift!
What a work of art in itself!
L.

La Maison Fou said...

P~
I referenced the modern entrance in an update. I had uploaded that last pic by mistake and it was under the same set of pics in my file.
Anyhow, Thank You for replying and I appreciate your imput on the designer.
L.

SassyAgapi said...

amazing detail! i would love to go see it!

La Maison Fou said...

Sassy~
Yes. Well worth the trip!
Thanks for stopping by.
L.