The Louvre

This week and half of next week we are on "les vacances"--which means none of us have school. We took advantage of this wonderful break by spending Monday in Paris. To get there, we walked about half a kilometer from our apartment to nearest the train stop, hopped on a train, and arrived at Notre Dame 30 minutes later.

After hitting our favorite crepe stand for lunch, we decided to take the boys on their first visit to the Louvre. We began at Greek Sculptures:

Here I am with my VERY FAVORITE exhibit in the entire Museum. I have never studied art, and I had never seen a photo or even heard of this sculpture before seeing it in person. Yet, the first time I went to the Louvre--when I turned a corner and found myself face to face with Winged Victory, it literally took my breath away. I gasped, and then whispered to David in reverent tones, "What is that?" Though I had seen the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, and countless other famous works of art that day, none had elicited an emotional response from me. For the first time in my life I understood the power of art.

Though Winged Victory is very famous, my first encounter with this sculpture changed that way the I explored the Louvre, or any museum for that matter. I no longer go looking for all the works that others have made famous. I now look for the works that stir me. Here are just a few of the paintings that caught my eye today. Some are wildly famous, others rather obscure, all of them moved me in one way or another.

There is something awesome about spending the day with masterpieces. I always leave feeling both bigger and smaller all at the same time. It was a lovely day, filled with beauty. My heart is filled with gratitude.

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