Paris, il y a deux semaines

So first on the list, Paris.  Two Saturdays ago, Isabel and I went to Paris for the day.  And no, THIS time we didn’t do laundry.  We got up early and caught the 8am train and even though we got distracted in Paris' Gare du Midi looking for brunch for the better part of an hour, we still made it to the Musée d’Orsay by 11.  The line outside of the museum was long, so it took us a while to get in, but it was definitely worth it.  Plus, once inside, there were a lot of people walking around, but it didn’t feel crowded.  The Musée d’Orsay was originally a train station before it was a museum, so it looks pretty cool inside. The whole reason we went to Paris that day was to go the Musée d’Orsay.  Before we went back to Angers, we explored Paris a bit, wandered through the Tuileries Garden, saw the Louvre (didn’t have time to go inside), but the highlight of the day was definitely the Musée d’Orsay.  I feel quite scandalous spending a semester studying in France without making it to the Louvre, but without realizing it, I ran out of time, so I had to make the choice Saturday between the Louvre and d’Orsay.  I chose d’Orsay because it’s home to most of the works I’ve studied this semester in art history class. 

Some highlights (there were many):

First up, a master of Impressionism, your cool breeze on a hot day, your warm blanket and a friendly hug, the one, the only, CLAAAUUUDE MONEEET [insert announcer voice] with one of many of his paintings entitled "Femme avec un parasol":    

Next up, the man you tried to classify (you art historians, you), but falling between movements and being a general badass, he defied the odds and remains inclassable.  The man you know and love, but sometimes mix up with Monet anyway, EDOUARD MANET and "Le balcon":

Up next, a jack of all trades, a painter, a sculptor, a printmaker, and an ardent lover of all things dancing.  You may know him as a founder of Impressionism, but he refused to be known as an Impressionist.  Far too interested in composition, he is slowly earning his own place in history as an artiste inclassable.  A painting that's surprisingly small in person, here's EDGAR DEGAS with "L'orchestre de l'opera": 

Born to a wealthy family and crippled at a young age, this next artist frequented Paris' famed Red Light District at the end of the 19th century and became well known as part of a famed circle of misfits and outcasts that included Oscar Wilde.  You may know him from such films as Moulin Rouge, but he will be remembered for his numerous sketches on cardboard. Here's HENRI DE TOULOUSE-LAUTREC with "Jane Avril dansant":

Named for the brother who died a year to the day before his birth, this troubled artist needs little introduction.  A difficult roommate (ask Gauguin), but an incredible painter, here, one night only, all the way from the Netherlands, it's VINCENT VAN GOGH: 

And now, a painter so revolutionary, he shattered historical perspective for generations.  An intellectual painter, he gave us theories of color and shape, and taught us all that painting can be more than the search for beauty.  You know him for his nature morts (still life), you know him for that tissu blanc, here tonight to round out the 19th century, ladies and gentlemen, PAUL CEZANNNNNNNNNE: