The Louvre (at least, the first visit..)

Finally got to visit the Louvre!! It is free for students on Friday night, so this Friday my roommate, our friend Allison and I all went. I think it may become our weekly excursion (: There is so much to see!! I think we saw a good portion of one wing in about 2 hours...but there are so many wings!! Haha.




Some of the things we saw are "Winged Victory" (which was absolutely amazing), "Venus de Milo", and, of course, the Mona Lisa...


It's so cool. My mind couldn't really register that these were the real things. That the pictures and posters and everything else were reproductions of this amazing thing you are standing in front of.

The Mona Lisa is especially cool. It is small, and one would think that, out of all the amzing (and sometimes gigantic) works surrounding it, it's nothing too special. At the same time, staring at that engimatic smile, you feel the same curiousity of its origin that has enamored generations of painters, critics, poets, and general passer-bys. The expression in her eyes is one that draws you; an enveloping sort of sigh or nod which speaks volumes and yet nothing at all. It is this most revealing mystery which has endured history's wars, passions, and woes. It is this which makes her famous.


Haha...the whole time I was looking at her, the Nat King cole "Mona Lisa" was in my head..."Do you smile to tempt a lover, Mona Lisa? Or is this your way to hide a broken heart?...Are you warm? Are you real, Mona Lisa? Or just a cold, lonely, lovely work of art?"



The room of sculpture was one of my favorites. Out of all the mediums one could use, it baffles me that anyone could make a human figure out of pieces of marble or bronze.


Some of them are fluid, giving a sense of motion to its figures. Others actually emote a sense of longing or anger or pain. I don't understand how this is possible. One of my favorite was a figure of a woman with a veil pulled over her face.

I literally have no idea how this is physically done. It is completely mind-boggling, which perhaps makes it even more beautiful.



Also, I would like to say with pride that I recognized many of the figures from afar. Haha...unfortunately I am not talking about the artists and sculptures themselves, probably much to my mother's dismay...but, thanks to my Greek Mythology class,
I could spot an Athena from across the room because of her helmet, aegeis and an owl; or a Hercules because of his club or lion's skin. Lol. There is something very satisfactory in those moments when you realize you have gained something from your education!!




There were students everywhere sketching the magnifiscent works...I hope to be one of them soon! It seems to me that it's been ages since I've been able to draw, and I can't wait to return here and do so!