A day at the Louvre

Today I went to Louvre with my class, and we saw many beautiful works of art. Although there were many amazing pieces of art these were the ones that (if I had to pick a few) I would consider my favorites.

 

 

 

 

This sculpture called The Funerary Statue of Margurite Valon who passed in 1674 was carved by Jean Dubois. This piece was commissioned by Jacques de Mucie, president of the parliament of Burgundy and husband of Margurite Valon. I was drawn to this statue for several reasons, first is the way she is resting her hand against her head, secondly the sculptor did an amazing job carving the lines in her hair which give it a curly wavy appearance which made me think of my own unruly tresses. The way the clothing appears to be flowing is also remarkable. The garments and cloth in this sculpture all appear to have different textures. Marguerites gown appears almost satiny and light while the upholstered cushions she is leaning on appears to have an almost velvety texture complete with dangling tassels.  Proportion was obtained by placing the other figure in the carving.

 

 

 Me with art. See, we appear to have similar hair texture.

 

 



 

This piece is called Mediolus and is a handled glass cup. This piece was made in Panticapaeum which according to Wikipedia was and ancient Greek city in what is now the Kerch region of the Ukraine.  Panticapaeum was founded in the 6th or 7th century BCE and lasted until 370 CE. This particular piece was created in the 1st century CE. This piece caught my eye for several reasons, first, I love the way the glass almost appeared to glow in the light another is simpler in that blue is my favorite color. This piece has a deep blue hue and the piece is mottled throughout. The fact that something like this was created in an ancient city is mind-blowing.

 

 

 



 

This painting is called The Sleep of Endymion and was painted by Girodet Trioson (a French painter) in 1791. According to Wikipedia Endymion was a character from Greek mythology who was associated with astronomy and a love of the moon. It was said that he was not dead but put into an eternal sleep by Zeus at the request of the moon. This scene is depicting Endymion sleeping in the moonlight. I was drawn into this painting by the use of light effects. It's truly amazing to see in person, I was truly overwhelmed and awed by the perfectly depicted moonlight highlighting Endymion.