‘Scripts, Skeletons & Scriptures: Writing About Writing in Yorkshire.

[Human]

I spent a more time after that wondering around the amazing galleries. I did want to find more works by Vigee Le Brun (have I ever mentioned that she’s my favourite artist?) and I was not disappointed. I’m always amazed by the humanity and the personality which she can cause her faces to express; again, I’ve seen all of these paintings in books, but it was a thrill and a joy to see them at full size, and in real life.












The artist fled to Russia during the French Revolution...



A note on teeth:



Finally I walked back through the Denon wing; it was uncomfortably crowded by that stage and again I was glad to have arrived early. I was also struck by the difference in crowd numbers between the Richelieu Wing, which I’d toured, and the Denon Wing which has the “big name” artworks such as the Mona Lisa.


One more quick visit…


Then it was a combination walk-Metro-walk meander to my sister’s place where we had a delicious French dinner of duck confit, potatoes fried in duck fat, and salad.

Tomorrow’s agenda: bones!

 

[FlyingFiona]

I love her paintings too, especially those of Marie Antoinette. (I assume you've seen le Brun's portraits of the queen housed in the Palace of Versailles?)

 

[VPS]

The tour was nearing its end but there were a few more stops. First, Rembrandts. Lots of Rembrandts – a roomful of them, in fact. I’d visited a roomful of Rembrandts earlier this year at the Met in NYC and reflected on how blessed I am to have been able to visit the Met and the Louvre in the space of 8 months.
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This painting is particularly brilliant and powerful; I’ll let the information plaque explain why.
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The final stop on the tour was at the Louvre’s only Vermeer (it has two, but one is currently on loan to another museum). This is an example of why museum/gallery tours can be so helpful – this was a tiny painting, less than 20cm high and wide, and I’d never have been able to find it or even to know about it if it weren’t for the tour guide pointing it out.
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That was the end of the tour, which I’d very much enjoyed and appreciated. It was well worth the money and time.

And the frame on the Vermeer is exquisite