Hello and welcome to my next Wonder Lesch blog post. I am liking the Paris theme and decided to keep that theme going. I certainly hope that you have been enjoying these Paris posts, and if you’re interested in another city for me to talk about, please leave it in the comments!
One cannot simply talk about the wonderful activities in Paris without speaking about the city’s enriching cultural experience. If you are an artsy person, you can learn all about impressionism, renaissance art, and many other art currents right from actual first-hand experience. Rembrandt, Monet, Degas, Renoir, and many other French artists have their creations displayed in one of the three museums in the blog post, if not all three of them.
First of all, L’Orangerie. This is a museum that is very well-known for its impressionist and post-impressionist paintings, housed in a beautiful mid-XIX century building, first built as a site to grow orange trees, hence the name.
One of the main attractions to be found in the museum is the masterpiece group of “Les nymphéas”, painted by Monet. These paintings (over 250 of them) are placed in the museum following Monet’s instructions, which makes for an experience that catches the eye of every visitor.
Musée de L’Orangerie is also a great way to travel inexpensively since one can have access to it using the Paris museum pass, and is right in the city center, making it a very walkable spot. It is recommended that you go to a restaurant nearby after your visit, since it requires 6 or 7 hours to enjoy thoroughly.
Next, Musée d’Orsay, a gallery that dedicates itself to plastic arts. The museum has a very wide range of impressionist paintings, which are complemented by the atmosphere of the place itself. The structure was intended to act as a XIX century train station, but now houses one of the greatest collections of art in the entire world, where one can enjoy the chronology from classical paintings up to modern times, with a heavy focus on the impressionist period.
In Orsay, one can find very popular paintings that hold a lot of history, and that you most likely have seen before. One of them is Van Gogh’s self-portrait, the one with the blue curved brushstrokes as a background. Personally, this one had the biggest impact on me, since it is one of my favorite paintings of all time. When you have an emotional attachment to something that you only have seen in pictures, and you get to see it displayed in such a breathtaking fashion, I can safely say it is one of the best parts of visiting such a culturally enticing place.
If you’re still on the hunt for other cultural activities, the Louvre museum is one that can close off this loop in a truly epic manner. We’ve all heard about the Gioconda. That famous Da Vinci painting that you either absolutely love, or just don’t see what the fuzz is all about. Yes, that one is housed in the Louvre. Not only that but thousands of other art pieces that took their respective artists months or years of work. Pretty amazing to think about, surrounded by beautiful architecture in the middle of one of the most beautiful cities in the world. It is not an understatement to say that the Louvre houses the best art collection in the entire world. Not only regarding content, but the whole experience is something unique that will make your visit to Paris exponentially better.
Wednesday Wonders – Paris Museums
Thank you for reading about Paris museums. Below are some guidebooks to help in planning your trip to Paris. Have you been to the Musée de L’Orangerie, the Musée d’Orsay or the Musée du Louvre? Let me know what you thought and share pictures! Please tell me in the comments if there is other city or another whole new topic that you want me to write about, I read and reply to all comments!
Until next time!
Wonder Lesch
