Louvre Museum
Overview
A travel article about Louve Museum
The Louvre Museum was built as a castle in the Middle Ages by Philippe Auguste, the king of the time, to protect the city. After being used as a castle, this building, which was also used as a royal residence, palace and school of Literature and Sculpture, was decided to be used as a museum in 1793 during the French Revolution. Today, inside this large building, there is a rich library, conference hall, laboratory where the works are examined and renewed, and the Louvre Museum School, which provides education in museology and art history.
The Louvre museum is among the museums with the largest painting collection in the world. The collection has expanded day by day with works brought from Egypt, Jordan, Athens, Rome, Iraq and many other countries. The Louvre museum, which is a work in itself, has also hosted artifacts from different periods. The 9,000-year-old statue of Ain Ghazal, which we can refer to as the "oldest" of the museum, reveals how extensive the chronology of the museum is.
To talk about the works that impressed me in the museum, I must first start with the Mona Lisa painting. The Mona Lisa appears to be sitting with her arms crossed in a wooden chair with armrests on a rather high, open balcony. There are various theories about the portrait; It is said that the Mona Lisa was actually Lisa Gherardini, the wife of a wealthy Florentine merchant, but Leonardo kept the painting for himself, not delivering it to the merchant who ordered it. Another theory is that Leonardo drew himself in female form due to his homosexual identity. In short, the identity of the Mona Lisa is as mysterious as the expression on her face.
Another work is “The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne” commissioned by the Santissima Annunziata Monastery. Again, a Leonardo Da Vinci work and this work was not delivered just like the Mona Lisa. That is why the work appeared after Leonardo's death. In the work, the childhood of Jesus, his mother Mary and Mary's mother Anna are seen. This painting impressed me because of the combination of 3 generations and the slight smile and calm demeanor on their faces when looked carefully. Leonardo preferred a mountainous and open area as the background in this painting, as in the Mona Lisa painting. In addition, the characters stand in a high place, as in the Mona Lisa.
In the painting “The Raft Of The Medusa”, there are people left to their fate on a raft and trying to send a sign around. This painting impressed me because some of the figures in the painting were exhausted and hopeless and some of them struggled by shaking the fabrics in their hands. A pyramid of happiness is seen in the painting, and an increasing happiness and hope can be seen as you look upwards.
The table I want to mention at the end of my article is; “The Wedding At Cana” standing right in front of the Mona Lisa painting I mentioned above by saying “I have to start”. This painting impressed me because it is huge. Contrary to the paintings I am used to seeing, it caught my attention because it has a far and wide angle and a very crowded environment. This is the painting that I have studied for the longest time since it contains so many figures. The first thing that caught my attention is the sight of Jesus and Mary in the middle of the table. Because of a long table and Jesus standing in the middle, the painting "The Last Supper" came to my mind directly. There are also those who want to watch the feast by hanging dangerously over the columns and balconies. This highlights the importance of the feast.