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World of Art
The Louvre
English, French (translation)
- GenresArtNonfiction
264 pages, Paperback
First published March 10, 1980
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July 17, 2024
The dimly-lit Coronation Room of the Palace of Versailles sometimes let through beams of light. Of all the pilgrims, few know that the gigantic oil painting under protection here, is in fact a replica. David had been commissioned twice to work on the Coronation—understably a fictional ‘work’ of arts, for some attendees and grandeur were manually added. The first copy instead moved to the ultimate repository of arts, the Louvre.
Any description is clearly an understatement of what’s in store. Despite my rushed visit this year, the new finds were not numbered. So the encounter with this book at Oxfam Cambridge is more prized than otherwise spotted on eBay. Having arrived at the right timing, it enabled me to crystallise my impressions while they were fresh.
Germain Bazin, a one-time chief curator of the Louvre, planned this book to purposefully leave out the impressionist paintings, which he had covered in another. By 80 pages in this burgundy hardback, what’s remaining is purely reprints of paintings. Lying side-by-side will be its description: the journey and some trivia. It’s one thing to have all this information at a click away nowadays. It’s another when an expert has hand-picked the paintings of monumental importance and reported what is worth your time. Le Sacre de Napoléon took inspiration from Rubens’s Couronnement de Marie de Médicis le 13 mai 1610. A worthy opponent, you’d think.
The 300-paged selection piqued my interest in the Italian schools. It must be the series of veduta made about Venice by Canaletto seen across the Louvre, the National Gallery, London, and the Fitzwilliam Museum that inspired tranquillity in me. I wouldn’t say I’m particularly drawn to biblical themes but it was the vicarious effect after visiting the Borghese or the Uffizi. Now, this book has some credits to take for making sure I notice.
Any description is clearly an understatement of what’s in store. Despite my rushed visit this year, the new finds were not numbered. So the encounter with this book at Oxfam Cambridge is more prized than otherwise spotted on eBay. Having arrived at the right timing, it enabled me to crystallise my impressions while they were fresh.
Germain Bazin, a one-time chief curator of the Louvre, planned this book to purposefully leave out the impressionist paintings, which he had covered in another. By 80 pages in this burgundy hardback, what’s remaining is purely reprints of paintings. Lying side-by-side will be its description: the journey and some trivia. It’s one thing to have all this information at a click away nowadays. It’s another when an expert has hand-picked the paintings of monumental importance and reported what is worth your time. Le Sacre de Napoléon took inspiration from Rubens’s Couronnement de Marie de Médicis le 13 mai 1610. A worthy opponent, you’d think.
The 300-paged selection piqued my interest in the Italian schools. It must be the series of veduta made about Venice by Canaletto seen across the Louvre, the National Gallery, London, and the Fitzwilliam Museum that inspired tranquillity in me. I wouldn’t say I’m particularly drawn to biblical themes but it was the vicarious effect after visiting the Borghese or the Uffizi. Now, this book has some credits to take for making sure I notice.
Displaying 1 of 1 review