The Dreamiest Ceiling in Paris

Marc Chagall is one of my favorite artists. I love his dreamy colorful paintings that can bring a smile to anyone's face. While his paintings are somewhat hard to find in the Paris museums, there is one place you can find one of his monumental pieces.

The Palais Garnier, one of the most beautiful buildings in Paris was inaugurated in 1875. In 1872 artist Jules Eugène Lenepveu painted the ceiling of the dome in the Salle de Spectacle. The Triumph of Beauty Charmed by Music, Among the Muses and the Hours of the Day & Night was on view over the spectators for almost 90 years. Created on copper plates and attached to a steel structure it would be damaged over time from the gas lighting used in the massive chandelier.

On February 20, 1960 at the gala for the President of Peru, Marc Chagall attended with friend and Minister of Cultural Affairs, André Malroux. Chagall had designed the stage sets for Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé and Malroux loved it. While looking up at the ceiling he asked Chagall to design a new one for the opera house. For over a year at the age of 77 Chagall sketched out more than 50 designs using every medium he had. To take on the large format panels he used the Manufacture des Gobelins and his studio in the south of France.

His final design of 12 panels, like a large flower because “France is a rose” comprises scenes from 14 major composers. Mozart’s Magic Flute, Berlioz’s Romeo & Juliet, Bizet’s Carmen and Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé are just a few.

It of course was met with many objections for its contemporary images against the classic Opera but like the Eiffel Tower and Pyramid people have grown to love it. As for the original one, it is still there. Chagall’s was installed seven inches below. You can see a small copy in the small museum in the Garnier, a striking difference to Chagall.

Inaugurated on September 20, 1964 the Chagall ceiling of the Palais Garnier and since then people have been able to see this beauty while attending a ballet or even on a visit. It’s a must see when in Paris. The great Marc Chagall was born on this day 135 years ago in 1887, Merci monsieur for leaving us such a dreamy world.

The Mischievous Artist that captured Paris

The self taught painter that captured the people of Paris was born on this day in 1761. Louis-Leopold Boilly had a way of depicting the streets and gatherings between the Revolution and the Restoration. His first painting was shown at the Salon of 1791 and he quickly garnered the attention of the elite who wanted him to paint their portraits.

His paintings can be found in a small room in the Musée du Louvre but recently a fantastic exhibit dedicated to him was held at the Musée Cognac-Jay that I was thrilled to see. A few things that will catch your eye when it comes to his paintings as there is always a bit of humor, fashion and even a bit of naughtiness. Inspired by Frogonard, his paintings behind closed doors got him in a lot of trouble during the Revolution and was marked for a period as being too offensive and hurt his commissions.

Two of his most popular paintings The Public Viewing of David’s Coronation painted in 1810 after he saw the crowds gathered to see the monumental work and The Reunion d’artistes dans l’Atelier d’Isabey did what he did best, gathering large groups of notable figures. In the Atelier all of the great artists, architects and sculptors of the time are shown overlooking the canvas of Isabey.

He was also a master of tromp l’oeil, an idea rarely used at the time and he always had a little fun with it. A cat that broke through the back of a canvas or a broken glass frame usually comes with a small portrait of the artist himself. In many of his large crowd scenes he added his own face into most of them and it’s your very own 19th century Where’s Waldo.

With a knack for finishing a portrait in 2 hours, the artists is said to have captured over 5,000 faces, His small portraits of the creme de la creme of the time were on hand but even more can be found at the Musée Marmottan Monet all year. They really are amazing to see up close and as a total collection and makes you wonder what story each of these people held.

Be sure to visit his paintings in the Louvre on the 2nd floor of the Sully wing in salle 938, they will quickly become a new favorite.

The Walls of the Musée d'Orsay that Tell a Story.

One of my favorite things about the smaller rooms of museums is how the curators organize 

the collection. Some rooms are dedicated to a single artist but the really cool ones are a mix of artists and when you really look you can see how each painting actually speaks to each other. 

There is one specific room in the Musée d’Orsay that I love and it is because of the paintings in the room and how each one has their own amazing story but together they tell another story.  On the ground floor of the Orsay in salle 12 you can find one of my favorite portraits, Berthe Morisot au Bouquet de Violettes by Manet.  I have a lot of favorites and if you have done a tour with me I will mention it about 1000 times but if I had to pick my top five favorite paintings, this would be one of them. 

I love the story of their friendship and how they met as she was a copyist in the Louvre and as soon as they met he wanted to paint her. Manet loved her dark looks and captured her for the first time in the painting just to the right. Le Balcon was painted in 1868 and Berthe is seen sitting holding a fan and looking off into the distance. 

The next wall, Manet’s Madame Manet au Piano, which is his wife Suzanne Leenhoff who arrived into his family as a piano teacher for the young Manet. Next to her is La Lecture also by Manet that shows a lovely Suzanne in a billowy white dress, that also resembles back to Le Balcon and in the background is her son, Léon who is also in Le Balcon. To the right is Monet’s painting of his wife also on a couch. 

James Tissot’s Portrait of Mademoiselle L.L. , another portrait of a very fashionable woman in her red jacket that pops from the wall. Back to the wall with Berthe that includes two Renoir’s Madame Darras and Jeune femme à la violette. Stand back and look at this wall and how they all are tied together and then look at the entire room and see how one theme leads to the next. 

Check out my video I made sharing this room as well as Manet’s Olympia and then up to the Impressionist gallery. And if you are coming to Paris this fall, reach out for a tour, days are filling up fast. Check ClaudineHemingway.com 

Also see video on my YouTube channel and subscribe. 

Eugène Delacroix at Musée du Louvre

French artist Eugène Delacroix was the leader of the Romanticism movement of the late 18th and first half of the 19th century. Born in 1798 outside of Paris and an oprhan by the time he reached 16 years old, he found his way to art by the age of 18. Learning at the hand of Pierre-Narcisse Guérin, his fellow classmate was Theodore Gericault, who would have an influence on Delacroix's paintings.  

 

Self portrait- GIlet Vert  1837

Through the 23 of July the Musée du Louvre has the most amazing exhibition dedicated to Delacroix. It is the largest collection of his works in one place since 1963 in partnership with the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Musée Eugène Delacroix. It includes some of his best known works, and one of my very favorite paintings but also his sketchbooks, diaries, working sketches he completed for some of his grandest works  and a few pieces rarely seen.

Le 28 Juillet 1830 La Liberte Guidant le Peuple  1830

Arguably his most recognized painting is Liberty Leading the People painted in 1830 for the Salon of 1831. Although today is the eve of la Fête Nationale that falls on the anniversary of the Revolution of 1789, this painting commemorates the Paris uprising of 1830, know as the Trois Glorieuses, (Three Glorious Days) that ousted King Charles X.  Liberty is the focal point of the painting, an allegorical figure rich with Greek imagery. Her bare breasts signifies the birth of democracy and her free flowing dress that conveys her movement as she climbs over the cobblestone barricades calling for all to stand up and fight inculuding the school boy.   

Exhibited at the Salon of 1831 it was purchased by the French state the same year to be hung in the Musée du Luxembourg, but was returned to Delacroix in 1839 as the theme was deemed to controversial. By 1848 King Louis-Philippe was the next to go and the painting returned, eventually making it to the Louvre in 1871 where it hangs to this day.   I could talk about this painting and describe it for days, but there is much more to Delacroix and this exhibit.

     sketch of Apollon Vainqueur du Serpent Python

One of the most beautiful galleries in the Louvre may be where you can find some of the crown jewels of France, but the the real beauty comes when you tilt your head up. The ceiling of the Galerie d'Apollon was painted by Delacroix. As a artist he loved to spend his days strolling through the Louvre and dreamed of one day seeing his work hanging with the historic walls. At the time an artist would only make it into the Louvre after they had been dead for 10 years. But Delacroix found another way in, when Felix Duban was restoring the famed gallery in the style of Louis XIV, thus the nod to Apollo. He was one of the few artists to live to see his work hanging in the Louvre

Jeune Orpheline au Cimetiere 1824

Young Girl at the Cemetery painted in 1824, shows Delacroix's affection of Peter Paul Rubens.  The sadness, fear and despair she shows on her face and her eyes glossy with tears, is incredibly moving. When you notice that she is in a cemetery and her great sense of loss as she looks upward for an answer. It constantly amazes me that one person can create that feeling with nothing more than a brush and paint. 

The exhibition is amazing and I spent over 3 hours taking in every detail and reading every word, it is a must see if you are in Paris in July. After that you can still see many of his works within the Musée du Louvre and also the Musée Eugène Delacroix that is a short walk away. And as a bonus if you go to the Louvre first, hang onto your ticket as it gets you into the Delacroix museum for free within 48 hours.