i defied them this time, i just couldn't resist taking a few shots while we took a rest/tried to get our bearings (and second wind):
this one, i had to take because of the christian marclay "clock" exhibit, which will elude me forever, but will continue to inspire...i also wanted to commemorate the time we were there: 6:30pm
i love the toes in this one...
i imagine this is my cousin, jenny, working one of her crafts...
the only downside of a trip to the orsay on this day in may was that many of the best impressionist works were out on loan to the hotel de ville (which we may try to see tomorrow) and major renovation forced the rest of the collection to be re-presented throughout the lower floors.
while the current configuration reinforces the awareness of the orsay's array of heavy hitters--one masterpiece next to another--there is little space in-between for a breath, let alone a deep thought about them...(the mental lingering starts in earnest much later). but the museum remains a must see if you're in paris.
bonus for 2011 travelers: through july 17, there is a major manet retrospective. manet: inventeur du moderne (the man who invented modernity--it sounds better en francais, oui?) is worth the extra euro and a long queue. i liked manet's work before, but i have new appreciation for his mastery of form and style, and some new favorites: the dramatic still life renderings (asparagus) and his more dramatic, photo- journalistic pieces, like the execution of maximilian and the velasquez-like "dead toreador."
***
a few au revoirs:
may 19, 2011
all photos © anita aguilar
