A day at the Louvre Museum

We decided today to go over to the Right Bank in the 1st arrondissement to the Louvre Museum.  We were surprised how easy it was to avoid the long lines by going early, and it is everything that has been written about it, fantastic.

 

The inside is huge, the walls are painted pure white to reflect the light, and there are so many different areas to visit, that you can avoid the huge masses of people that are for the most part congregating in front of the Mona Lisa.

There are some 35,000 pieces of art dating from prehistory to the 19th century and this is the world's largest museum (and most visited). It definitely is huge, covering an area of 652,300 square feet.

Built in the late 12th century by 1682 it became the main place to display the royal collection under Louse XIV who had chosen the Palace of Versailles for his family to reside at.

During the French Revolution, it was decreed that the Louvre would display the country's masterpieces.

On August 10, 1793 the Louvre opened officially, with eight curatorial departments, that included over 35,000 displays.

Everything from archaeological discoveries, to sculptures, paintings, drawings and objets d'art are arranged in various rooms throughout the museum.

The day we went, we were surprised at how small the Mona Lisa actually was, and it was the only piece of art work that we could not walk right up to,  to study. 

The minute you leave this room, the crowds for the most part lessen, and we headed over to my favorite period, the Dutch painters and the gorgeous realism of the Flemish school of art.

It was interesting to see students at their easels throughout the Louvre copying the great masters, a really incredible day...

 

 It does go without saying, that if you have the time, spend several days (the majority of a day, with intervals for a bite to eat & some coffee) each day, at a different section.  

As soon as you get familiar with the Louvre, you can then look forward to all the other art museums throughout Paris, never ending !