Tag Archive | Musee D’Orsay

T’Was All About Impressionism…Macarons…and Crepes.

December 6, 2016, Tuesday: Paris

Today was all About Impressionism…Macarons and Crepes

I awoke at 6.00 am (yes, to the sound of the tram bell). I showered and fixed myself a smoked salmon baguette with salad which I would carry for lunch and ate pain de chocolat for brekkie. By the time I left my place it was 9.45. I arrived at my destination, the Musee d’Orsay, at 10.30 am. Having been here several times, I did not expect to stay beyond noon.

Exploring the Musee D’Orsay:

I could not have been more delusional. The Musee d’Orsay is so huge and so crammed with artistic wonders that it deserves a whole day devoted to its exploration. As it turned out, I began my examination of its masterpieces quite systematically, on the ground floor, as I took in its sculptural treasures—Rodin, Carpeaux, mixed media African busts by Cordier (which I adore) before I made my way to the end of the hall only to find a special section devoted to the Opera Garnier and the artistic genius of Charles Garnier! Now what are the odds that I would have visited it only the previous day? Had I not taken the tour, I would have just skirted through this exhibition. As it turned out, I gave the section a great deal of time and attention and was completely taken by the model of Paris featuring the Opera building built on scale beneath our feet and protected by a glass floor. There was also a brilliant cross-section of the entire building that gave glimpses of the kind of décor that had fascinated me yesterday. You could see a miniature version in this model of the original ceiling rondel as it had existed before Chagall presented his Modernist one.

I made my way by elevator then to the top-most floor and decided to head downwards via the stairs. At the top, I came upon the huge clock that acted as the clock of the Gare d’Orsay (when it used to a major railway station). The manner in which this building has been repurposed to house the national Impressionist collection is simply stunning and no matter how often I come here, I still remain awed. Through the clock’s hands, one can see the city of Paris spread out with the church of Sacre-Coeur at Montmartre clearly visible in the distance. As I moved inside, I found the balcony (which is open only in the summer) which offers incredible views of the Seine and the buildings on its banks including the Louvre. Of course, once my viewing of the paintings began, there was no stopping my camera. I clicked incessantly—from Whistler’s Mother to Manet’s Flautist and Odalisque, from landscapes and snowscapes by Sisley and Pisarro to Monet’s Poppies, Ladies with a Parasol and his Waterlilies, from Renoir’s portrait of a very young Monet to his portrait of Berthe Morrisot and his twin paintings of City and Country Dancing, from Cezanne’s mountain views and Card Players to a few by Rousseau—all the Masters were there, vying for attention. I went past the Café Campagna and made my way to the lower floor where the grandeur of the Impressionists continued. I took some more pictures of works by Van Gogh, Seurat and Cezanne and then eventually, with my tummy rumbling and my feet begging for a rest, I went into a small café and ordered a sandwich. I did have my own in my bag but I simply could not find the space to sit down and eat my own lunch. The sandwich I bought was eaten at a stand-up counter but it gave me the rest I needed.

During the second half of my tour of the museum, I focused on the lowest level and as I wound my way in and out of the galleries, I saw works by Bonnard, Courbet and even Modernists like Picasso. The lower level presents a mixed bag—there are gigantic works and there are very small canvasses. I was fairly drooping with fatigue by the time I finished looking at every painting, but as I was keen to see Manet’s Dejeuner Sur L’Herbe and could not find it in its regular position, I asked a guard where it could be. He told me that it had been moved temporarily into the special exhibition on the ‘Second Empire’. So off I went to the opposite side of the lowest level and there I gave myself up to the thrill of seeing all sorts of 19th century items–from letters and sculpture to paintings and decorative objects: some of which were so stunning that they took my breathe clean away. Finally, in the last gallery, I did see the Manet masterpiece I had been seeking and when I had taken a good close look at it (for the nth time), I decided to get a move on—as I was really really tired. So, in the end, by the time I left the Musee d’Orsay, it was 4.00 pm!

Off to Pierre Herme for Macarons:

When I had last lived in Paris, four years ago, I had indulged in a great deal of gastronomic treats from artisanal bread from Eric Kayser and cheese from Barthelemy…but one thing I hadn’t quite managed to taste were the incredible macarons made by the inventor of them himself—Pierre Herme. This time I was determined not to leave Paris without sourcing, finding and feasting on them. I had used the internet to find out that one of his extraordinary patisseries is near St. Suplice Chruch and that was where I took the metro in search of it. I found it soon enough and when I went inside, I saw that he had a special Christmas range based on foie gras. It was not long before I bought a box of macarons—7 come in a long box—plus a special one made with truffles (that comes in its own special packet). I was pleased to take them home and enjoy each one separately. I also bought two of his croissants—one being his signature IsfahanL a combination of rose, raspberry and lychee (flavors that had resulted in the creation of his famous pastry called the Ispahan)—well, this was the croissant equivalent. I also bought his Croissant Poire William, filled with a pear puree and studded with candied pears. Breakfast for the next couple of days was sorted! And would be special!           

Crepes for Dinner in Little Brittany:

Also on my list of Must-Do Items before leaving Paris was eating crepes—and since Lonely Planet had extolled the virtues of a place called Chez Josephine in Little Brittany, off I went to find it. It was practically in the shadow of Tour Montparnasse. It had turned dark by the time I reached there…and guess what??? It was closed on Tuesdays!!! Duh Me! Well, I had no choice but to look for an alternative place and I found it at Creperie Bretonne. There, I settled down in an empty creperie, after I inquired and found out that it was not too early for me to be served dinner at 5.00 pm. I chose to each a Crepe Rennes which was filled with ham, Swiss cheese and mushrooms—and it was scrumptious! I savored it with a large decaff café au lait and feeling very pleased with my very early dinner, I made my way out about an hour later.

Home to Relax:

Fairly falling with fatigue, I made my way back home on the metro and reached at 6. 30 pm. I sat propped up in bed and caught up with email and the world’s news and facetimed with Llew. Then, at about 9.00 pm, I ate a smoked salmon salad that I made with my greens, smoked salmon, blue cheese and nuts—douzed with salad dressing. When I felt ready for bed, I brushed and flossed my teeth and turned out the light.

A demain!  

Impressed (As Always) By The Impressionists

Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Paris, France

Bonjour!
After our tiring day yesterday, we took it easy with a later get-up than usual. After breakfast (packaged pain au chocolate and baguette with preserves and coffee), showers were done and we were ready to leave for Giverny. The weather was not ideal–cloud cover promised an overcast day. Still, we hoped sunshine would poke through at some point.

It was while we were on the metro literally that we changed tracks. It was much too late a start for a trip so far out of the city, I thought. Let’s get to the Musee D’Orsay instead and hope for better weather tomorrow–when Giverny might seem like a rosier prospect. So, we got off one train and hopped on to another and then we were at the serpentine queue outside the Musee.

Musing Through the Musee D’Orsay:
The Musee d’Orsay is, hands down, my very favorite museum in Paris–so I saved the best for last. Our friend Cynthia had never been to it, so it made sense to wait until she arrived in Paris to take her there. But, trouble is, it seems to be everyone’s favorite museum! The line had to be seen to be believed. Never have I ever seen this sort of crowd attempting to get into a museum containing art works–not at the Louvre or the National Gallery in London or the Met in NY. It was a sight for sore eyes! How wonderful to know that people could mob a museum in the same way as they would a Bruce Springsteen concert!

One of the reasons I love the museum so much (apart from its Impressionist collection, of course) is the venue: The Gare d’Orsay that once ran tracks to Nantes and Toulouse and Auvers out of Paris was converted into a space to house the national collection of Impressionist paintings. I had first visited the collection almost thirty years ago, as a backpacking graduate student in Europe, at a time when the space was brand-new and all of Paris was buzzing about the movement of the Impressionists from the Musee de Jeu de Paume on the Place de la Concorde to this new space. This time, three decades later, all of Paris is buzzing about the recent new renovation that has taken place inside that has re-grouped the paintings so that they are no longer chronological but massed in sections by Collections: the paintings shown at the first Impressionist Salon at the end of the 1800s, for instance, followed by a whole lot that belonged to a personal collection, etc. It is a tad confusing, to my mind, as my historically-oriented brain prefers chronology to make developments in the art world clear. Still, it was a good visit.

While we still were full of beans, we decided to go and see the Masterpieces of High Impressionism first–on the fifth level. The floor was packed and I mean just mobbed. Even on free Sunday, I did not feel so suffocated at the Louvre. This was just insane. Gallery after gallery went on like this. It took away much of the pleasure of our art perusal and I cursed myself for waiting until the last minute of my stay in Paris to review these works. What was I thinking???

Manet’s Dejeuner Sur l’Herbe, the painting that scandalized polite French society at the end of the 1800s when the frank gaze of the nude woman sitting besides her fully-clothed male friends had discomfited Parisians, was our first big stop. From there we were jostled through rooms that held the beautiful Balcon by Manet (I love this work) that features a very lovely young Berthe Morrisot (his sister-in-law) with two other friends. Claude Monet’s Waterlilies, his series on the Cathedral at Rouen (seen at varying times of day under varying levels of natural lighting, thanks to Monet’s obsession with the impact of light on his subjects), Degas’ best known Ballet Dancers, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec’s best-known Can Can Dancers including La Goulule and Jane Avril were all on display together with Henri Fantin-Latour’s monumental painting that shows the group of Impressionist friends in Manet’s atelier watching with rapt attention as their friend unveils his masterpiece. We also saw Cezanne’s early and late works from his Still Life with Apples and Oranges to his Card Players (it was really easy, in his landscapes, to see why he was such a huge influence on Picasso and Braque and why they acknowledge their debt to him in their creation of Cubism). I really love to go to the Orsay to see works by the lesser of the celebrity Impressionists–Alfred Sisley and Camille Pisarro whose soft depictions of snow-covered streets or orchards bursting into spring flower have always appealed to me.

Lunch at Cafe Campagna:
After we had satisfied our artistic hungers, more basic ones compelled us towards thoughts of lunch–so we made our way to the new cafe named the Cafe Campagna after the two Brazilian interior designers, Humberto and Fernando Campagna who have conceived of it. The space is dominated by the huge clock that crowns the exterior pediment of the railway station. From the new cafe, you see the back of it. Extremely futuristic in conception, the cafe is lit by huge bell-like lighting fixtures that hang low above the diners, a wall of shiny navy blue shards of glass pieced together to form a striking backdrop and low mobile ‘walls’ composed of orange wires clumped together. These can be moved around and repositioned wherever one wishes to create an instant partition. The overall effect was simply lovely.

Cafe Campagna offered sit-down service and although the menu wasn’t extensive, it was very good. We ordered Salade Bombay–a truly yummy concoction of greens, roasted raisins, caramelized onions, sweet pieces of mango, slices of chicken breast and a really great dressing that was heavily spiced with curry powder. I absolutely will re-concoct this at home. We also ordered a Croque Monsieur. France’s humble toasted cheese sandwich was taken to new gourmet heights with the addition of a whole baked goat cheese (chevre) placed on top. As you cut into it, it melted all over and created another flavorful layer on a sandwich that was already bursting with great taste from quality ham and Gruyere cheese. The pasta with pesto sauce and parmesan cheese could have had a bit more sauce added to it–it was a tad too dry. Although the chocolate eclairs doing the rounds were profoundly tempting, as usually happens, we had no room for dessert. Still, the meal was just great (and not just for a museum menu) and very reasonably priced for the excellent sit-down service we had received. I am glad I followed the advice of my NEH colleague Casey who had recommended we eat at the new restaurant.

Back to the Impressionists:
Fortified by our excellent meal, we made our way down to the second level to see the work of the Post-Impressionists, chief among these being Van Gogh and Seurat. And one again, we faced the masses or rather the heads of the masses as they congregated around Van Gogh’s best-known works: His Bedroom at Arles, one version of Starry Night, the Church at Auvers Sur Oise, his portrait of his friend Docteur Gachet. There were Seurat’s Le Cirque in which his Pontillism intentions were very well explained and several works by Signac, Bonnard and Vuillard. (I cannot wait now to revist the best of Van Gogh’s work at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam at the very end of my summer of travel–in late-August, on my way back from India).

The second level is also packed with superb sculptural works by August Rodin and Aristide Maillot (whose hotel particulier I had visited a few weeks ago, now called the Musee Maillot). You zigzag your way through these table-top sculptures as you get in and out of the painting galleries.

On the ground floor, there are several more important twentieth century French works from Manet’s Olympia (inspired by Ingres’ Odalisque) to one of my favorite paintings of all time, Millet’s The Gleaners (a work that was a massive influence on the early Vincent Van Gogh). There are massive canvasses on this level that take the viewer through a maze of art developments to Symbolism. We ended our perusal of the collection with a look at Monet’s Dejeuner Sur L’Herbe which was his answer to Manet’s work. Monet’s is much larger in size and scope, features many more individuals (all fully-clothed) and was cut up by the artist into fragments which were then dispersed all over. It was only rather recently that one part of it was brought back from a museum in Moscow to reunite with a piece that had remained in France. The story of this painting was just as interesting as the subject and the people featured in it. It really did make a fitting end to what had been a really fruitful and fulfilling if deeply fatiguing day for us.

Although we had taken several ‘rests’ through our wanderings in the museum, we were dead on the bus that we boarded from right opposite the museum to take us home.

Last-Minute Shopping:
We got off at Porte d’Orleans to do some last-minute shopping for items I wish to take to India–port wine for my Dad, Pringles for my little niece and nephew, cheese for me, Amora mustard to send back home to Southport with Llew. We walked slowly home down Boulevard Jourdan to our building and then sank back with steaming tea and chocolate cake.

It was a good time to fill the evening chatting and catching up with our friend Cynthia. We had so much to talk about that time simply flew. Soon it grew darker outside the window–time for dinner. I put together the last bits and bobs from the fridge together to create a meal: Melon with Smoked Ham for a starter with Pain Aux Noix from Poilane and Bordier Butter, Ravioli with Bacon and Sausages in a Tomato Cream Sauce, Fresh Sliced Strawberries and Cream for dessert.

We hope to get an earlier start tomorrow and better weather for a possible trip to Giverny to see the gardens and the house that inspired and gave birth to Monet’s best-known works.

A demain!