Louvre Again, 1

Sunday Vicki and I did the Louvre, for the upteenth time, but this time better prepared than ever before. We stayed the whole day, opening to nearly closing--with lunch and 2 short breaks--a personal best for me at an art museum. Despite the heat of the Louvre, and the crush of visitors, we had a most enjoyable and edifying time.

Being so far behind in the blog, and visiting places I have blogged about before (see 2009), I'll try to limit the pix posted to a few classic things, a few we particularly enjoyed, and a few about which I can offer some special insight.

I can never resist this one

After enough art history videos, reading, and museum visits,
even Rubens begins to interest and appeal; I'll have a lot
more Rubens in a succeeding post; here, the coronation of
Maria Borghese 

A particularly good Vermeer, his Astronomer

Rembrandt's Bathsheba, being copied

Norway's Nordkapp, the northernmost point of Europe,
by Peder Balke; special meaning for those of us who
have driven there...

Rene Descartes, by, of all painters, Franz
Hals; no broad brushing here, though;
don't get Descartes before Deshorse, as we
used to say

Bruegel's Mendicants; many more and better Bruegels
coming up in Vienna, Munich; nearly our favorite

Cranach's Eve; he used this model and this
pose for several works, both religious and
secular; we'll see her many more times

Durer's youthful self-portrait; we'll see his
later, much celebrated, 1500 self-portrait in
Munich

Jan van Eyck's, Chancellor Rolin, having a chat with
Virgin and Child; van Eyck was the first to work
extensively with oil; a very old painting, even by
Louvre standards; note the landscape in the background

Ingres' Turkish Bath; a work of imagination, no doubt

Ghirlandao's Old Man and Youth

To be continued...