Musée d'Orsay

The Musée d’Orsay was one of the most important places on my “must-see” list for Paris. I inherited my grandmother’s love for impressionism, and the Musée d’Orsay is the best place to feed that passion. Luckily, our fine arts class went on a visit today, mostly to see the works of Courbet, our teacher’s favorite artist. Valerie let us out of class early to give us a chance to explore, though. After a quick visit to the temporary exhibit, I made a beeline for the works by Monet.

The first one I saw was one I know well: Poppies Blooming. I have a print of this painting in a Monet collection of mine, and I love the soft greens and blues in it. The textures are amazing, letting you imagine the feel of the tall grass. You can even see the wind moving the grass and the trees.

I also saw Monet’s attempt at Dejeuner sur l’Herbe, which was near Manet’s iconic version. It was easy to see that Monet was still developing his own style when he created this work, since it looks quite different from his later paintings. The figures' faces are too defined and the background seems less spontaneous than later works.

The other paintings I found were less familiar. Monet’s painting of his wife Camille on her deathbed was quite sad. I think the dark colors he used must have been an expression of what he was feeling. I read tonight that Monet was horrified by the fact that his first instinct upon seeing his dead wife was to paint her. He worried that the artist had taken him over too completely.

In addition to seeing Monet’s works, I enjoyed seeing the paintings of other Impressionists like Degas and Renoir, two of my other favorites. Unfortunately, I had less than an hour before the museum closed, but I plan on going back a couple of days before I leave Paris. The bookstore was open later, so I was able to buy a great book on Monet filled with letters, sketches, and documents about the artist. I can’t wait to read it!

Once again, pictures weren't allowed, so you're seeing the internet versions.