Gare d'Orsay Redux

Beaux Arts

Again, today we had two visits planned and ended with only one.  Notre Dame is just a few blocks from our apartment.  As such, our plan was to swing by there, zip in, ooh and ahh, perhaps visit the crypt, maybe the tower and then return to the d'Orsay.  To our surprise (naïveté has taken charge) the line to the Grand Dame was extensive.  Even the ticketed line held way more people that our limited patience could tolerate.  "Hey.  We've been here twice. Let's go."  So off to revisit the Gare d'Orsay and see missed magnificence chief of which is the Manet room with Olympia and Luncheon on the Grass.

It seems that every inch of real estate is occupied by a magnificent structure.  I hardly even say, "look!  What is that?" Any longer.  But I did stop and check on the building pictured above.  We've passed it numerous times and the big dome is visible from all over.  Turns out the place is home to the Academie des Beaux Arts.  Home to all those famous artists i.e. Ingres, Seurat, Rodin, Renoir whose bio reads ...attended the Beaux Arts.

Wayne with Manet's Luncheon on the Grass

At the d'Orsay we completed our tour with the Manet collection.  I'm quite fond of Manet.  His blacks are unrivaled and he has this ability to use strong line to delineate areas yet maintain form there.  He was also quite the painting rebel choosing to depict the nude in a realistic manner rather than idealized.  We also looked at the Frederic Bazille show, a special exhibit.  More pictures are at flickr.