A Visit to the Louvre Museum

A Visit to the Louvre Museum
French History Timeline I
100200AD
768814AD
1066AD
1095AD
1st
Romans
bring
Christianity
to Gaul
Charlemagne
crowned Holy
Roman Emperor
by Pope Leo III
Battle of Hastings –
William the
Conqueror of France
(Norman) invades
England & is crowned
British king.
crusades
Late
1100’s
–
Louvre
is built
as a
fortress
13371443AD
1617AD
16431715AD
Age of
Enlightenment
Hundred
Years’ War
England
claimed the
French throne
– but with the
help of Joan of
Arc, the French
finally drove
out the English
in 1436.
1516-L. da Vinci
moves to France
& dies there 3
years later.
1700’s
Louis XIII
&
Cardinal
Richelieu
–
France
becomes
absolute
monarchy
Louis XIV The
Sun King –
moves court
to Versailles
Palace
Voltaire
French History Timeline II
July 14,
1789
17891794AD
French
Revolution
Robespierre &
the Reign of
Terror
French
commoners
storm
Bastille
Prison,
symbol of
oppression.
Marie Antoinette
& King Louis XVI
are executed by
guillotine.
1804AD
Napoleon
Bonaparte
crowns
himself
Emperor
1815
Napoleon
defeated in
Russia in
1812, then
at Waterloo
in 1815
1852AD
Late
1800’s
1914-18
WW I
Napoleon
Bonaparte’s
nephew,
Napoleon
III, is
crowned
emperor.
In 1870, France
loses the FrancoPrussian War
with Germany &
Napoleon I is
exiled.
WW II
Versailles
Treaty 1919
Eiffel Tower
built in 1871,
Impressionnist
Movement
begun in
France.
1940-44
Charles
Degaulle
1940 – Germans
invade & occupy
Paris
June 6, 1944,
Allied forces
invade
Normandy&
push out the
Germans
How the Louvre appeared during the
Middle Ages
Remains of the original
Louvre fortress
French History Timeline I
100200AD
768814AD
1066AD
1095AD
1st
Romans
bring
Christianity
to Gaul
Charlemagne
crowned Holy
Roman Emperor
by Pope Leo III
Battle of Hastings –
William the
Conqueror of France
(Norman) invades
England & is crowned
British king.
crusades
Late
1100’s
–
Louvre
is built
as a
fortress
13371443AD
1617AD
16431715AD
Age of
Enlightenment
Hundred
Years’ War
England
claimed the
French throne
– but with the
help of Joan of
Arc, the French
finally drove
out the English
in 1436.
1516-L. da Vinci
moves to France
& dies there 3
years later.
1700’s
Louis XIII
&
Cardinal
Richelieu
–
France
becomes
absolute
monarchy
Louis XIV The
Sun King –
moves court
to Versailles
Palace
Voltaire
Under Kings Louis XIII, XIV, and XV – the Louvre was
expanded into the building we see today. After Louis XIII
built the Versailles Palace in 1624, the royals seemed to
lose interest in the Louvre Palace.
Louis XIII
Louis XIV, the
Sun King
The Louvre Palace
Louis XV
French History Timeline II
July 14,
1789
17891794AD
French
Revolution
Robespierre &
the Reign of
Terror
French
commoners
storm
Bastille
Prison,
symbol of
oppression.
Marie Antoinette
& King Louis XVI
are executed.by
guillotine.
1804AD
Napoleon
Bonaparte
crowns
himself
Emperor
1815
Napoleon
defeated in
Russia in
1812, then
at Waterloo
in 1815
1852AD
Late
1800’s
1914-18
WW I
Napoleon
Bonaparte’s
nephew,
Napoleon
III, is
crowned
emperor.
In 1870, France
loses the FrancoPrussian War
with Germany &
Napoleon I is
exiled.
WW II
Versailles
Treaty 1919
Eiffel Tower
built in 1871,
Impressionnist
Movement
begun in
France.
1940-44
Charles
Degaulle
1940 – Germans
invade & occupy
Paris
June 6, 1944,
Allied forces
invade
Normandy&
push out the
Germans
King Louis XVI and his wife,
Marie Antoinette are executed
October 16, 1793 – Marie
Antoinette was executed
by guillotine at Place de la
Concorde.
Preparing the
guillotine at the Place
de la Concorde
21 January 1793 – Louis
XVI was executed by
guillotine at Place de la
Concorde.
Place de la Concorde: a huge public square
The Luxor obelisk was
a gift from Egypt &
was installed in the
square where the
guillotine once stood.
In the summer of 1794, more
than 1300 people were
executed here in 1 month
during the Reign of Terror.
Hotel Crillon on
the Place de la
Concorde was the
Nazi headquarters
in Paris during
WWII.
Charlotte Corday, age 24 – was executed at the Place de
la Concorde in 1794 for stabbing to death Marat, a
leader during the Reign of Terror.
Death of Marat, by Jacques Louis David
The Louvre opened as a
public museum in
August 1793, on the 1year anniversary of the
of the monarchy’s
demise.
In 1989, the Chinese-American
architect, I M Pei introduced
the world to his glass pyramids
– the large one serves as an
entrance to the Louvre
Museum.
Glass pyramid
entrance at the
Louvre designed by
Chinese-American
architect, I. M. Pei
IM Pei also designed Fountain Place, City Hall
& the Meyerson Symphony Hall in Dallas
Beneath the
“pyramid” of the
Louvre is the
entrance to the
museum.
Sully Wing
Richelieu
Wing
Denon
Wing
Pyramid
entry
You could spend a lifetime studying the art in the
Louvre. We will spend ½ day and try to see some
of the most important pieces.
Sandbags protecting the grand
windows of the Louvre during WW II
Winged
Victory –
being
prepared
for removal
from the
Louvre
during
WWII
Venus de Milo
Sully Wing,
Ground Floor,
Room 12
Winged Victory of
Samothrace
220-190 BC
Hellenistic statue
Winged Victory (Nike) of Samothrace
Denon Wing,
Groundfloor
staircase
•Ancient Greek statue
found in small pieces
on the island of
Samothrace
•The right wing is a
plaster copy of the left
•Sculpture could be
seen from afar by ships
approaching the island
Denon Wing,
Groundfloor
Michelangelo
gallery, Rm. 4
The Slaves, 2 unfinished
sculptures by Michelangelo –
intended for the tomb of Pope
Julius II
The Slaves
sculptures by Michelangelo Buonarotti
(4 are in Florence, 2 in the Louvre)
Denon Wing,
Groundfloor
Michelangelo
gallery, Rm. 4
•unfinished sculptures
•Intended to decorate the tomb
of Pope Julius II
•Meaning of these slaves statues?
Possibly, the soul enchained by
the body, nations enslaved by the
Pope
•Notice the tool marks left by the
artist himself on the slave’s body -
The Rebellious Slave
The Dying Slave
Michelangelo’s slave figures
– meant for the tomb of
Pope Julius II, but left
unfinished when the
project was downscaled.
Virgin of the Rocks
Leonardo da Vinci
Leonardo da Vinci grew up
near the Arno River, so
many of his works feature
similar rock formations as
seen there.
St. John the
Baptist
Baby Jesus
blessing
John the
Baptist.
A later version
of this painting
hangs in the
National Gallery
in London.
Mary’s
mother,
Anne
The Virgin and
Child with St.
Anne
by Leonardo
da Vinci
1st Floor, Denon,
Grande Galerie,
Room 5
Some say Leonardo often
included 2 women with
baby Jesus because the
artist himself was raised by
2 women - his mother and
stepmother.
St. John the
Baptist
Leonardo da Vinci
1st Floor, Denon,
Grande Galerie,
Room 5
St. John the
Baptist pointing to
heaven suggests
the important role
that baptism plays
in salvation
The Denon Wing of the Louvre
Denon Wing
The Madonna and
Child in Majesty
Surrounded by Angels
Cimabue
1280 AD
Early altarpiece – done
before the start of the
Renaissance, but gives us a
glimpse of things to come.
Notice that the body of the
figures can be made out
beneath the folds of the
fabric.
Leonardo
started this
painting in
1503 and
spent 4 years
on it.
Climate-controlled
room for Mona Lisa
cost $7 million. The
Mona Lisa is too
priceless to be
insured.
Studies have shown
that there are 3
versions beneath
the painting
including one in
which the Mona
Lisa is clutching the
arms of her chair.
The Mona Lisa
was stolen
from the
Louvre in
broad daylight
in 1911 by an
employee, but
was recovered
2 years later.
Oil painting on
wood (poplar)
panel
Denon Wing,
1st floor, Salle des
Etats, Room 13
Where are her
eyebrows? Scrubbed
away or forgotten?
The Mona Lisa became famous
because of this revolutionary artistic
technique used by the artist,
Leonardo da Vinci.
Sfumato: smoky contours –
rather than bold outlines
Raphael: artist known for
The School of Athens (located at the Vatican, Rome)
St. Michael
1st Floor Denon, Grande
Galerie, rooms 5 and 8
St. Michael
Vanquishing Satan
Self-portrait with a
Friend
Raphael
Madonna with Child
with St. John the
Baptist
1st Floor Denon, Grande
Galerie, rooms 5 and 8
Veronese: Wedding Feast at Cana
Moved the wedding
scene to 16th
century Venice –
with classical
architecture & rich
surroundings
The bride and
groom
Self-portrait of the
artist, Tintoretto,
with artists Titian &
Tintoretto also
playing instruments
Denon Wing,
1st floor, Salle des
Etats
Jesus Christ, seated
beside his mother, Mary
who holds an invisible
glass, symbolizing that
there is no more wine.
Christ’s first recorded
miracle – which reveals
his divine nature
This painting
was plundered
by Napoleon’s
army from a
monastery in
Venice in 1797.
Veronese: Marriage at Cana
Corinthian
columns
Doric
columns
The 13 foot high,
1500 pound
painting was cut in
half & brought to
Paris. It was then
sewn back
together.
Directly above
Christ’s head, an
animal,
presumably a
lamb, is being
slaughtered. This
foretelling the
impending death
of the Lamb of
God, Christ, upon
the cross.
This painting was
completed in 1563.
During World
War II, this
painting was
rolled up and
carried
around
France in a
truck.
Mary holds an
invisible glass –
symbolizing that
the wine has run
out.
Veronese: Wedding Feast at Cana
Notice that
it is Jesus in
the center of
the painting
- not the
bride &
groom
detail of
the bride
and groom
Veronese: Wedding Feast at Cana
Detail:
Master of Ceremonies
Denon Wing,
1st floor, Salle des
Etats
Veronese: Wedding Feast at Cana
Detail: Musicians
Portrait of the
artist, Titian,
who painted
Bacchus &
Ariadne.
Self-portrait of the
artist, Veronese
Hour glass
symbolizes that our
time here on earth
is limited.
Veronese: Wedding Feast at Cana
Titian :
Man with Glove
Concert Champetre
(Pastoral Concert)
Titian
Inspiration for Manet’s
Luncheon on the Grass
Titian: Supper at Emmaus
Caravaggio’s, The Fortune Teller, 1595
Young man gazes at gypsy fortune
teller as she slyly removes his ring.
Another similar
painting by Caravaggio,
The Card Sharps, 1594,
can be seen at the
Kimbell Museum in
Fort Worth.
Vermeer:
The Lacemaker, The Astronomer
2nd Floor Richlieu Wing, Room 38
Notice Vermeer’s
contrast between the
girl’s tightly pulled
back hair and the
loose ringlet on our
right, and the tightly
pulled thread she’s
working on and the
loose red thread to
our left.
prayerbook
Look at the lacemaker’s
intense concentration as she
works. The Dutch appreciated
industriousness as a virtue.
This small
painting brings
us in close to
the subject –
unlike most of
Vermeer’s
works which
show a solitary
figure standing
in a lightinfused room.
In 1940 this painting
was seized from a
wealthy Jewish man,
Edouard de Rothschild
by the Nazis and the
back was stamped
with a swastika.
Was this Moses
painting, shown
hanging on the
wall, one of
Vermeer’s missing
paintings?
Celestial
globe
One of only 2
known Vermeer
paintings featuring
solitary men
Some suggest that the open book
is a 1621 astronomy book called
“On the Observation of the Stars,
which recommends the use of
geometry as well as “inspiration
from God” to learn the subject.
The
Astronomer
1668
Jan Vermeer
The painting on
the wall deals with
the finding of
Moses – Moses
was described as
being learned “in
all the wisdom of
Egypt,” which
included
astronomy.
The Astronomer
Jan Vermeer
Rembrandt’s Bathsheba at her Bath
Below:
Servant
washing
Bathsheba’s
feet
Brocade robe –
symbolizing
Bathsheba’s
royal destiny
Simple white
cotton shift –
symbolic of
innocence
Painting
completed in
1654
First depiction of this type –
most showed David in the
background .
Letter, presumably
sent by David to
Bathsheba
Rembrandt:
Supper
atRijn
Emmaus
Rembrandt
van
We’re
drawn
Supperinto
at
Emmaus
the scene.
Painted in
1648
Jesus is looking
upward – his
thoughts seem to
be with God the
Father
Richlieu Wing
Room 34, 2nd
Floor
Notice that the
artist saved
room at the
table for us.
Monochromatic
(shades of 1 color –
brown) color scheme
Rembrandt doesn’t
challenge us to decide
if Christ is fully human
in this picture – Jesus
seems real enough to
touch.
(3 of Rembrandt’s
self-portraits can be seen in
Richlieu Wing, 2nd Floor,
Room 31)
Denon Wing,
1st floor,
Neoclassicism
Abduction of the Sabine Women
(pronounced sa-been) Nicolas Poussin
Richlieu, 2nd Floor,
Room 16
Nicolas
Poussin
produced 2
versions of
this work.
The earlier
version
hangs in the
Metropolitan
Museum of
Art in New
York.
Hey, Sabine dads,
how would you feel
about me & my
Roman buddies
marrying your
daughters?
The Sabine tribe
lived one town
over and didn’t
want to mingle
with the Romans.
No way,
Romulus!!
NEVER,
Romulus!!!!
Romulus, early
leader of the
Romans
Sabine dads
I hope my
good toga is
clean.
Well, then how
about coming to
our party? Oh,
and don’t forget
to bring your
girls!!
Thanks,
Romulus!
That sounds
like fun!
Sabine dads
Early Roman
leader, Romulus
Romulus gives the signal and each Roman
soldier grabs a Sabine woman to be his
bride.
Later that evening at the party…
You Sabine
girls will love
being married
to us Romans!
Later Romulus asked each Sabine
woman to accept the Romans as their
husbands. He said they would be
honorably married, would be
guaranteed civil and property rights &
their children would be free men.
This isn’t
exactly how I
pictured my
engagement!
Self-portrait
of the
French
Neoclassical
artist,
Jacques
Louis David
1794, Louvre
The Intervention of the Sabine Women
Jacques Louis David
In this painting,
Jacques Louis
David tells the
other half of this
story.
Denon Wing,
1st floor,
Neoclassicism
After the Sabine women
married their Roman
abductors, the Sabine men
came to reclaim them. The
women jumped in the
middle of the fighting and
begged the men to kill the
women and not each
other. The fighting
stopped.
You can’t have
them! They’re
our wives now.
And the mothers
of our children!
Rommie, Dad, please
stop fighting!!! I love
you both. Please kill
me - not each other. I
couldn’t bear to live
without my husband or
my father!
Romulus, We
Sabines are here
to pick up our
daughters. Don’t
make us fight you!
Romulus’ wife, Hersilia,
places herself and her
babies in between her
husband and her father.
The fighting
stopped.
Stop in the
name of
love!
Hersilia’s
dad, a
Sabine
Denon Wing,
1st floor,
Neoclassicism
Hersilia’s
husband,
Romulus
The Intervention of the Sabine Women
Jacques Louis David
The story of
the Romans &
the Sabines
became a
popular artistic
theme –
showing the
importance of
marriage in
sustaining a
culture.
Hersilia’s
dad, king of
the Sabines
Hersilia, wife of
Romulus, and
their children
Romulus, Hersilia’s
husband, king of the
Romans
The Intervention of the Sabine Women
Jacques Louis David
Oath of the Horatii
Jacques Louis David
Represents the solemn
moment when the 3
Horatii brothers face their
father and pledge their
lives for Rome. Only 1
brother would return
alive from battle against
Alba.
Denon Wing, 1st Floor, Daru Rm.
75, Neoclassicism
This painting caused a stir in
the art world because it was
seen as a return to classical art
(later called Neoclassicism).
This was a tremendous change
from the feminine style of
paintings being created at the
time.
A return to classical tastes in art:
Neoclassicism
Artist:
Jacques Louis
David
Above: The old
rather feminine
style of French
painting.
Denon Wing, 1st
Floor, Daru Rm.
75, Neoclassicism
Detail:
Oath of the
Horatii
Jacques Louis
David
Denon Wing, 1st
Floor, Daru Rm.
75, Neoclassicism
The Horatii women are upset
because one is engaged to a
member of the enemy.
Artist: Jacques Louis David
The Coronation of Napoleon I
Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris, December 2, 1804
This painting, by
Jacques Louis David
was used as political
propaganda for
Napoleon.
Denon Wing,
1st floor,
Neoclassicism
Artist: Jacques Coronation
Louis David
Napoleon’s
The Coronation of Napoleon I
JacquesdeLouis
David2, 1804
Cathedralby
of Notre-Dame
Paris, December
The artist attended the
ceremony and made many
sketches in preparation for
this painting.
When Napoleon
saw the artist’s
sketches for this
large propaganda
painting, he
insisted on many
changes.
Self-portrait of
the artist, David
Emperor Napoleon’s mother on
a throne – in fact, she was not
present because she was angry
with her son.
Pope Pius VII
Empress
Josephine
was made to
look much
younger
than her 41
years.
Napoleon also insisted that
David lower the pope’s chair
so Napoleon appeared taller.
Notice that Napoleon’s back is
to the pope.
Pope Pius VII had to be
dragged from Rome to
Paris for the
coronation. Napoleon
insisted that David
make him appear less
angry & to show him
blessing the event.
Napoleon I
Above: David’s
original sketch of
Josephine
Josephine
Denon Wing,
1st floor,
Neoclassicism
David’s “improved”
Josephine after
consulting with
Napoleon
Jacques
Louis
David
Napoleon’s
mother
Self-portrait of the artist,
Jacques Louis David
Grande Odalisque
Ingres
(artist Ingres was a student of
Jacques Louis David)
Denon Wing,
1st floor, Daru Rm
75, Neoclassicism
Pronounced
“grond ode-a-lisk”
•Set in an exotic,
Turkish bath
•Figure is elongated
– 3 extra vertebrae
•Left leg is joined to
the body in an
unusual fashion
•Artists such as
Picasso were
influenced by the
way Ingres altered
the bodies in his
paintings to suit his
desires.
Grande Odalisque
Ingres
Denon Wing,
1st floor, Mollien
Rm. 77,
Romanticism
Liberty Leading Her People
Eugene Delacroix
The artist,
Delacroix
Denon Wing,
1st floor, Mollien
Rm. 77,
Romanticism
Woman representing
liberty – possibly the
inspiration for the
Statue of Liberty.
Some think the little
street urchin inspired
the Gavroche
character in Hugo’s
Les Miserables.
The belltowers
of Notre Dame
Painting was meant to
celebrate July 28, 1830
when French people
unseated the Bourbon
king.
Denon Wing,
1st floor, Mollien
Rm. 77,
Romanticism
Raft of the Medusa
Gericault
Denon Wing,
1st floor, Mollien
Rm. 77,
Romanticism
The Raft of the Medusa
Théodore Gericault
The artist, Gericault,
was only 27 years old
when he painted this
work.
The survivors
have just spotted
the ship which
will save them.
Denon Wing,
1st floor, Mollien Rm. 77,
Romanticism
Raft of the Medusa
Théodore Gericault
Gericault
interviewed
survivors &
visited the
morgue
before
creating the
painting.
This painting depicts
the true story of a
French ship, The
Medusa, which sank
due to the
incompetence of its
captain - who was
given the job for
political reasons. Of
the 147 crewmembers
who made it on to a
raft, only 15 survived.
Producing a piece of art showing
such a controversial subject, (and
which pointed fingers at a corrupt
government), assured Gericault’s
success.
The Nativity: Georges de la Tour
Sully Wing, 2nd
Floor – Room 28
1593-1652
St. Joseph:
Georges de la Tour
Sully Wing, 2nd Floor, Rm. 28,
Closed Thursdays
The Young
Martyr
Paul Delaroche
Represents a young Christian
martyr drowned in the Tiber
River (Rome) in the 3rd
century during the rule of
Emperor Diocletian
Sully Wing - Louvre
Ceiling – Sully Wing
Watteau Room – 2nd floor of the
Sully Wing
Pierrot
(Gilles)
Sully, 2nd Floor,
Rooms 36/37
Pierrot
(Gilles) by
Watteau
Sully, 2nd Floor,
Rooms 36/37
Still-life with Onions and Bottle
Paul Cézanne
Napoleon III
(nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte) 1808-1873
Richlieu Wing, 1st
Floor, Rooms 83-89
Richlieu Wing, 1st
Floor, Rooms 83-89