Le Louvre

As a result of my metric system failure, all of the bed linens I suffered for last weekend were useless, and so my Saturday was spent on a pilgrimage to IKEA to exchange said failures for sheets that might actually fit.

I got all the way to IKEA – RER, buses, metro, and all – with only one run-in with a creepy guy. It actually reminded me a bit of the book “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.” If you give a Corsican guy on a bike the time, he’s going to want to ask you if you’re English. If you tell him you’re not English, he’s gonna want to follow you down the Seine. I guess it’s not so catchy. We’ll stick to mice and cookies.

Sidenote: Why is it that people always think I’m English? Do I look like I spend my time in a sweater, wandering the moors with a sheep and a cup of tea while talking about  tennis and the queen? Don’t answer that.

The complete lack of problems with the whole return/exchange process was surprising and refreshing after my week of customer service hell. My only complaint is with the food. Or maybe it’s more of an observation. The 50 centimes ($0.75) hot dog at IKEA definitely tastes like a 50 centimes hot dog.

The fruits of Saturday’s labors? One set of dvala sheets and matching bibbi-snurr pillowcase and duvet cover.

I’ll wait for the applause to die down.

Moving on.

The larger part of my Sunday was spent at the Louvre. I made sure to take a few pictures of things I thought notable.

My favorite part of the Louvre has to be its painted and gilded ceilings. It’s so exciting to be able to correctly identify Greek and Roman gods and scenes from their respective mythologies. I almost wanted to tell passers-by, “Hey, did you know that’s the gorgon Medusa?”

Or, “Oh my gosh, look at that great rendition of the failed flight of Icharus, who fell from the heavens after melting his waxen wings by flying too close to the chariot of Apollo!”

After walking for about three hours through the museum and seeing some of my favorite pieces (pictures to follow), I sat down and began to watch the people walking past, and what I saw was a little frustrating and greatly disheartening. In the fast-paced society of consumerism in which we now find ourselves, it seems that even art isn’t safe. The people I saw at the Louvre yesterday were only interested in the most famous pieces, and paid little attention to anything else. All they did was walk and snap pictures of everything. Some even had video cameras, pausing on each sculpture or painting for a second, then moving on to the next. No one stopped. It seemed that no one cared – like they wanted only the photos to say they had been to the Louvre, without ever experiencing the Louvre. It seems to be the M.O. of tourists everywhere: take a lot of pictures, but see nothing.

I think that maybe cameras shouldn’t be allowed inside museums, to force people to actually see the beautiful things for which they came.

I’ll step off of my soap box now to share a few things I really enjoyed.

1.)    The chance to see some of the works housed in the museum’s basement. Apparently, there was some threat of flooding in the Louvre’s basement, and so some of the pieces were moved into the Etruscan section. I thought it was so special to get a glance at artwork very few people, except museum employees and art historians, ever get a chance to see (even if they were behind bars and under plastic tarps).

2.)    The bust of Akhenaton, a crazy Egyptian pharaoh who completely turned Egyptian polytheism into monotheism (kind of a big deal). No one even stopped to look at the face of a man who caused such a ruckus so long ago. I donno – I was pretty excited in a former-Egyptian-nerd sort of way.

3.)    This isn’t exactly one of my favorite pieces, but I think it explains pretty well why sculptors rarely include pupils in their portraits. I’m not so sure “Looney Toons” is the look this Roman was looking for.

4.)    This statue was part of my incentive to go to the Louvre. I’m not exactly sure what it’s called, or when it’s from, but I’ve always found it fascinating and strangely beautiful.

5.)    I think this is my absolute favorite piece out of all of the ceiling paintings. It’s so different from everything else, so beautifully dark. Maybe it’s the crows.

6.)    This is definitely my second-favorite ceiling piece. It seems like a normal, Egyptian-themed, death-inspired scene (which is always fantastic), until you notice a little something extra.

See it? No? When I first saw it, I felt like laughing and crying from terror simultaneously. Still don’t see it? It’s the demonic dog breathing hellfire on the left. I definitely need a poster of this.

7.)    This is the painting in front of which I sat the longest. It’s a depiction of Paolo and Francesca from Dante’s Inferno. Would you like me to tell you the story? Okay.

The story of Inferno is essentially the story of one man – Dante Alighieri – and his voyage through hell, through which he is led by his most beloved poet and mentor, Virgil. After entering the gates of hell and passing through the first circle, the pair enter the second circle of hell, reserved for the lustful, who are carried round and round on strong winds for eternity. One couple – the only couple in hell to remain together – is instantly recognized by Dante as Francesca, and her lover Paolo, and he entreats her to tell him their story. Francesca was married to Paolo’s brother, but soon found herself in love with (and loved by) Paolo. Their amour was discovered, and the pair was murdered in each other’s arms by the vengeful brother. Their punishment, according to Dante, is to remain passionately in love – without the bodies necessary to act on their passion. This painting depicts the lovers caught in the winds of eternity, along with Dante (in the red) and Virgil (in green).

I wanted so much to tell someone that story at the museum. I think paintings are more meaningful if you know the stories behind them.

Nothing else important happened this weekend, but hopefully, there is more excitement to come.