We're back at cour Marly in the Louvre. What do you think of these 'people' who are intermingled with all the ancient sculptures? I have to admit that at first glance, I thought they were real... kind of like the street performers who stand perfectly still for hours for your entertainment. But no, this is an art in
stallation. The figures look as if they are made of
plaster of Paris, stark white, no faces to be seen. Each clock is set at exactly the same time. I'm sure this all means something, but I'm not sure what. And I'm sure you're wondering why any of this could be one of my favorite things about Paris? Here's the explanation....all over this city you see the old and ancient juxtaposed against the new, the modern, the avant garde. At the corner of Blvd. St. Michel and the Seine, there is a huge
fountain of St. Michel slaying a dragon completed in 1860. In 1871 this corner was the center of the political uprising known as the Paris Commune. And today... across the street is a stainless steel figure in profile that spurts water. Another example of this tension of old/new is found in the infamous
I.M.Pei pyramid that anchors the courtyard of the Louvre. Love it or hate it...you'll find a Parisian to support you. Nothing could be more modern than the
Pompidou Center that snuggles up against the
Eglise Saint-Merri, a 14th century church in the 4th arrondissement. And when you enter this
ancient church, here is what you find in the nave!
.JPG)
The vibrant and active life of this working parish is documented on the cubes resting on the traditional black and white tile floors and framed by 14th-century stonework. Ya gotta love it...and I do. To me, these splashes of the new against the old make Paris a living city and not just a stuck-in-the-past, stuffy museum city. It lives and breathes with the energies of the people who live, play, work and worship there. Rather than feeling like the old and new clash, Paris is able to make them feel like partners in time leading the city to even greater heights of
joie de vivre and culture.
We're back at cour Marly in the Louvre. What do you think of these 'people' who are intermingled with all the ancient sculptures? I have to admit that at first glance, I thought they were real... kind of like the street performers who stand perfectly still for hours for your entertainment. But no, this is an art in
stallation. The figures look as if they are made of plaster of Paris, stark white, no faces to be seen. Each clock is set at exactly the same time. I'm sure this all means something, but I'm not sure what. And I'm sure you're wondering why any of this could be one of my favorite things about Paris? Here's the explanation....all over this city you see the old and ancient juxtaposed against the new, the modern, the avant garde. At the corner of Blvd. St. Michel and the Seine, there is a huge fountain of St. Michel slaying a dragon completed in 1860. In 1871 this corner was the center of the political uprising known as the Paris Commune. And today... across the street is a stainless steel figure in profile that spurts water. Another example of this tension of old/new is found in the infamous I.M.Pei pyramid that anchors the courtyard of the Louvre. Love it or hate it...you'll find a Parisian to support you. Nothing could be more modern than the Pompidou Center that snuggles up against the Eglise Saint-Merri, a 14th century church in the 4th arrondissement. And when you enter this ancient church, here is what you find in the nave! .JPG)
The vibrant and active life of this working parish is documented on the cubes resting on the traditional black and white tile floors and framed by 14th-century stonework. Ya gotta love it...and I do. To me, these splashes of the new against the old make Paris a living city and not just a stuck-in-the-past, stuffy museum city. It lives and breathes with the energies of the people who live, play, work and worship there. Rather than feeling like the old and new clash, Paris is able to make them feel like partners in time leading the city to even greater heights of joie de vivre and culture.
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