The Cloisters

Located in Manhattan, The Cloisters is part of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is a "museum experience" not to be missed. The building itself is a collection of medieval art. It consists of elements from five French cloisters and gardens planted with historic plants from medieval times and poetry. Every step through the museum is an educational and emotional experience. This is without even considering the items contained in the building. The view of the Hudson River is incredible, as well.

The museum evolved from the collection of American George Grey Barnard who was a dealer of medieval sculpture and architectural pieces in France. His personal collection was displayed on Fort Washington Avenue. When John D. Rockefeller, Jr. purchased the museum and all of the art collection, he donated the land for the new, larger museum. He even donated a piece of land in New Jersey to ensure the view would remain the same from the building. Rockefeller also donated some of his own pieces of medieval art to the new museum. "The Hunt of the Unicorn" tapestries was among these. These tapestries are one of the most popular exhibits in the Cloisters and one of my favorites.

The piece in the museum that most impressed me on my trip was the Boxwood Rosary Bead. This was a gift of J. Pierpont Morgan. The piece is only slightly over 2 inches in diameter, which seems impossible considering the amount of detail it contains.

Monet

Claude Monet is responsible, more than any other artist, for influencing and furthering the Impressionists' Movement. In fact, the name Impressionism was coined by a critic referring, mockingly, to one of Monet's first pieces in this genre, "Impression: Sunrise" (1892). He also was one of the pioneers in Plein Air work in which the artist breaks away from the studio and uses the landscape as his model. This became the focus for the rest of Monet's life, capturing the natural light and color on canvas.

He was born in Paris, France, on November 14, 1840 to parents who encouraged his art. By the age of fifteen, Claude was working as a caricature painter. During his early career, he was associated with other now famous artists, such as, Renoir, Sisley and Bazille.

Monet was married in 1870 to Camille Doncieux who died only nine years later. He remarried in 1892 to Alice Hoschede, whom he had been living with for many years with their eight children from their earlier marriages.

Monet's later work included groups of paintings in which he used the same subject. Haystacks was among these series. He would at times have a dozen canvases being worked on at once. He would move from one to the next as the time passed and weather conditions changed. In this way, the same scene would have different light and color which he captured flawlessly. The most famous of these is the Waterlily series which he created using his personal garden in Giverny as a model. He worked on this series until his death, nearly blind, at the age of 86.

A few of my favorites at the Musee D'Orsay...

Claude Monet, Rue Montorgueil, Paris, Festival of June 30, 1878.

Katie and I were so enthralled with this painting which captured the spirit of France.

The Dancing Lesson - 1871-1874, Edgar Degas

Poppies; near Argenteuil - 1873, Claude Monet

Katie and I enjoyed our "Museum Experience" in more ways than solely viewing art. It was a big decision what to wear to the Louvre. Katie bought a dress, this added to the fun. Between the Louvre and Musee D'Orsay we stopped at a cafe' and had decadent desserts and shared our thoughts on the Louvre.

The Musee D'Orsay was recommended by a friend who has been to Paris. I did not research anything about it or ask any questions. I believe this made the experience all the more special. We were so surprised to see all the Impressionists' paintings. This is our favorite and we had been disappointed by its absence at the Louvre. Musee D'Orsay turned out to be the most important site in Paris for us.

This museum originally was built as a railroad station, completed in time for the World's Fair in 1900. Three different architects competed to design this important building. Due to its proximity to the Louvre and the Palais de la Legion d'honneur it needed to be aesthetically pleasing as well as functional. Victor Laloux was chosen for his design.

It was no longer being used and facing demolition when the Louvre and the other museums of Paris were overflowing with art. The station was converted into a museum and was completed in 1986. It displays works from 1848-1914.

Created by Michaelangelo, the Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of the greatest masterpieces of the world. In three sections the paintings depict the creation of the universe by God; the creation of man and his expulsion from the Garden of Eden and; the story of Noah and his Ark.

Michaelangelo worked from 1508-1512 on this work. The art in the Chapel was restored in the 1980's. This revealed the most beautiful, vivid pastels which had looked like dark shades of color and gray prior to the cleaning. We are now able to view the paintings as they were intended, although the restoration was quite controversial due to concerns of compromising the artists original work.

The picture at the left of the ceiling is outside the Sistine Chapel in many languages so viewers can have some education before entering. Tour guides abound, preparing visitors for their experience inside the Chapel. The art witnessed clearly makes this a museum experience but the fact that this is an active Roman Catholic Chapel where the Pope is elected makes this a religious event, as well. It is expected that no one should speak or take photos inside the Chapel which added to the solemnity of the moment.


Michaelangelo returned to the Vatican from Florence, where he worked for the Medici family, in 1534, to create the Last Judgment (left). This vibrant painting is divided into three sections, Heaven at the top, in the middle is souls heading up to Heaven and down to the lower level of Hell. This was a very controversial work of art. A major religious leader is shown in the lower right corner in Hell after he objected to Michaelangelo's graphic style.

St. Bartholomew, who was skinned alive, is shown with the face of Michaelangelo contorted in his dropping skin.

Since its completion in 1541, loincloths and drapes have been added to the figures. They were later removed when the work was cleaned in the 1980's. A small section of the masterpiece was left uncleaned in the upper right corner to show the difference.

I was overwhelmed with emotion in the Sistine Chapel. The combination of religious and historic importance were quite powerful.

Art is not always limited to the confines of an indoor museum as Katie and I saw throughout Europe. The Eiffel Tower emerges in Paris and offers a view of fifty miles. This structure was designed by Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel as a temporary exhibit for the Universal Exposition of 1889. It was to be demolished at the end of the fair but remained for its value as a radio antenna. It is hard to believe this was not appreciated at least as the engineering feat that it was if not as a piece of art.



We took the elevator to the middle level of the tower and had a fantastic view of Paris. Katie wasn't too keen on going any further so we hit the gift shop, took loads of pictures and made our way back down.

The River Seine beyond Katie was a beautiful sight from this elevation.

I imagine the curved base made it challenging for American Elisha Otis to design an elevator to bring visitors to the upper levels of the Eiffel Tower. The tower stood at 984 without its television mast and was the largest manmade structure in the world prior to the Empire State Building in 1932.

Katie and I were both quite awestruck by the Eiffel Tower. It was quite surreal to get off a bus and be a few feet away from this magnificent work of art. We took pictures from every angle. The only disappointment was a green netting around the middle of the tower where work was being done. I found changing my photographs to sepia or black and white camouflaged it well.

I wonder, which came first the Eiffel Tower or the Erector Set??
7/24 Curiosity got me... The Erector Set was invented in 1911 in New Haven CT by the AC Gilbert Co.

Seeing art in its original form adds a dimension that cannot be recreated through pictures or words. We have all seen the Mona Lisa portrait countless times in our lives, but to be in its presence is something quite different.