I have been in France before and I have been in the Louvre before. But this time was different.
This time I wanted to spend a whole day in the Louvre, leisurely enjoying what I loved and exploring what I hadn’t noticed before. I had chosen one of the two days the museum stays open till late in the evening.
I am very familiar with the museums in Washington and I have visited extraordinary museums in Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo, Rome and Tel Aviv. The one in Cairo has a special place in my heart. But in sheer magnitude and quality of display, no museum can hold a candle to Louvre.
This time I wanted to spend a whole day in the Louvre, leisurely enjoying what I loved and exploring what I hadn’t noticed before. I had chosen one of the two days the museum stays open till late in the evening.
I am very familiar with the museums in Washington and I have visited extraordinary museums in Berlin, Amsterdam, London, Tokyo, Rome and Tel Aviv. The one in Cairo has a special place in my heart. But in sheer magnitude and quality of display, no museum can hold a candle to Louvre.
It was a beautiful day. Hundreds thronged the Louvre compound, content to walk around and savor an ice cream. Others smoked and took photographs; children sucked lollipops; lovers hugged and kissed.
I began with the sculptures, a section I had neglected earlier. Giant statues of kings and generals, of the four seasons, of legendary characters. In my prejudiced view, far more impressive were those of writers such as Moliere, Corneille and Montaigne, with paper and pen in their hands rather than swords and scepters.
I began with the sculptures, a section I had neglected earlier. Giant statues of kings and generals, of the four seasons, of legendary characters. In my prejudiced view, far more impressive were those of writers such as Moliere, Corneille and Montaigne, with paper and pen in their hands rather than swords and scepters.
The paintings, carefully arranged and beautifully lighted, are still the real treasure of the Louvre. Corot, Degas, Manet, Ingres, Delacroix, an extraordinary procession of masterpieces that delight, thrill and finally overwhelm. Pedestrian as it may seem to mention, even the new flooring and signage are impeccable, the bathrooms immaculate. I. M. Pei’s flight of imagination – the Pyramid – gives a glow inside the museum and lends a curious charm and drama outside.
Fortunately I had several days in Paris. Even if one has just two days, it is worth spending a full day in the Louvre. It lifts your spirit and makes you fall in love with life.
I walked out of the Louvre into a bright, breezy evening, my heart full, my eyes still dazzled by – not the famous Giaconda smile – but by the incandescent, seductive smile of Madame Drouais, sculpted by her husband, enough to set the sturdiest heart aflutter for a lifetime.
I walked out of the Louvre into a bright, breezy evening, my heart full, my eyes still dazzled by – not the famous Giaconda smile – but by the incandescent, seductive smile of Madame Drouais, sculpted by her husband, enough to set the sturdiest heart aflutter for a lifetime.
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