Tag: sculptures

Orsay Museum (Exterior)

We did another walk with our friend on yet another beautiful morning. This time we met at the Orsay Museum just for a change of scene. I sure hope it opens soon. It’s really a great museum.

I saw this gorgeous building as I near the Orsay.
There are a series of iron sculptures of wild animals such as this rhino in the front of the museum.
And this row of figures that were once on another building each representing different areas in the world.
I wonder if we will be able to see this exhibition when it opens?
The Orsay was once a train station that wasn’t large enough when the trains got longer and there are two clocks on it. Inside you can look out and see Paris views. They almost tore the building down but, luckily, someone got the idea eventually to make it a museum.

Umbrellas

I don’t know where or when it started, but many umbrellas overhead, usually in an alley or gallery, is a big decorating thing now all over the world. Instagram suddenly had photos of le Village Royal, here in Paris so I got myself there as soon as possible. I joined many photographers and, I think, Instagramers.

Here’s the entrance into the passage.

As you can see, they go on quite a way.
There were some sculptures there as well by a Belgian artist.
There was a cute little Chinese family there doing cute poses for a photo.
Later the two little girls of the family above looked up the “skirt” of this statue. I wish I had been fast enough to get a photo.
I liked what they did in a corner too.

The British Museum

Our hotel was just a block away from the British Museum and we went in for another visit. You can always find something there that you haven’t seen before.

The stairs as you enter. It was Saturday so it was starting to get crowded but it wasn’t too bad.

A giant horse from a temple.

Assyrian wall sculpture of the king on a lion hunt. Notice the men at the back keeping the lions away from him.
A horse’s head sculpture in the Japanese section.
Armour for a Samurai.
That night we went and saw Mama Mia probably for the fourth time as a play, and many more times for the movie. Such a happy play.

Art

While looking around Old Town Scottsdale I found some interesting art, mostly part of a fancy art gallery I think.

I spied what I thought was a regular saguaro and went to get a photo with the pretty yellow flowers in front of it when I realized that it was made of metal.

Then I saw this group of metal sculptures.

The sculpted metal lady sported turqouise jewlry which I thought was cool.

Another metal sagauro, light post and a planter with cactus all artfully displayed.

Isn’t this great? Nature is an artist too.

I think this was the entrance to parking at the gallery which I didn’t get the name of.

The Unexplored

We have a friend who was on a group tour composed of French tourists somewhere in the Middle East. Our friend was talking to a couple and asked them where in France they lived and they told her Paris and a place on the Atlantic Coast near La Rochelle that she wouldn’t have heard of and she said, “It wouldn’t be Chatelaillon, would it?” They were really shocked because she was right. She sent us their names and contact information and we met and have had several meals with them. The husband is especially interesting. He has worked all over the world and has lots of fascinating stories. He and his wife explore this area when they are here much more than we have. He is always telling us of interesting places to visit around here. One of these was a quarry, called la Pierre de Crazannes, near a village called Crazannes less than an hour from our place. People have been getting stone from here for centuries. It is especially popular because it is pure limestone without fossils in it which is what those doing sculptures want and many builders. Since the advent of cement in 1948 the quarry shut down but they have a little museum there and take you on a tour to see it all. It was very fascinating.

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When you drive up into the parking lot there are a bunch of huge sculpted statues which are done by resident artists. We saw them chiseling away while there.

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The entrance to the trail leading to the quarry.

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A look at some of the huge blocks of stone left. They did it the old fashioned way, chisel groves in the shape they wanted, put in dry wedges, put linen on top and pour on water. As the wedges expanded, the stone would fall out of its place in the wall, be put on a wagon pulled by six oxen where the stone would be moved to the nearby Charentes River. It was hard labor and the average age expectancy was 52 years. Boys started working there when they were nine moving rubble and were doing work by the time they were 16. It paid more than farming. Also, many men went blind working on the white limestone in the sun for years.

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The workers could only go down 18 meters as water was reached being near the river. It was a very tropical place as you can see-ferns all over the place.
We went for lunch to a nearby city called St Jean d’Angely where there was a church on the Camino de Santiago, the path followed by pilgrims walking through France to Spain.

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Here is what is left of an old abbey.

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Inside the church that is there now. Such a pretty floor.

la Defense

I don’t get up to la Defense very often. It’s a long way for one thing, at the very end of metro line 1, and it’s sort of barren to me in many ways. There are tons of buildings and people but it still has an empty feeling. Maurice’s dentist is here and he makes the trek to see him.

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The Grande Arch, which lines up exactly with the Arch de Triumph a long way down the way. I went up in it once and couldn’t believe that you didn’t get a jaw dropping view. What were they thinking?

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There are all sorts of art there including this giant thumb.

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Statue, as you can see.

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Pretty.

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One of the many tall buildings there. It’s a huge business center. In fact, Maurice once had an office here when he worked for IBM.