….Textures from France
Tuesday Textures – April 19, 2022
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Category Archives: Art Gallery
The Monsieur Rose at the Bon Marché
…..by artist Philippe Katherine
On a recent trip to the Bon Marché in Paris we were delighted to come across a larger than life art exhibit of large pink characters suspended high above the atrium or hanging onto the railings or standing on the floor waiting for shoppers to pose for photos.
Inside the store there was also a special gallery set aside for more of Philippe’s work.
To See or Not to See
…..at what cost would you see the Mona Lisa?
We’ve all seen pictures, videos and documentaries of the Mona Lisa. You may have read books about that mysterious smile or where the art piece itself is central to the storyline.
I’ve heard over and over again how small the painting is in real life and yet when I actually saw it I felt it was larger than I had imagined. Was it worth the long line-ups, the crowds and the close proximity to so many people during a pandemic?
I am not sorry that I saw her up close, well at least as close as you are allowed to be. I stood in line with our son but my husband didn’t. He saw the painting from the back of the room. What I am sorry for is all the art that I didn’t get to see or spend time with, as we hurried along the u-shaped galleries to get to the room where the Mona Lisa hung. I knew we were getting closer when the crowds got denser.
There is so much to see at the Louvre that you need more than one 90 minute slot. We were there at the end of the day and leaving Paris the next morning. Here are a few other art pieces that we managed to see.
Priority Admission at the Louvre
…..walking with a cane has it’s advantages
When we travelled throughout Italy in 2016 with our 9 month old granddaughter we found that museums, galleries and restaurants bent over backwards to accommodate us. Six years later in France we’re finding the same thing except now it’s walking with a cane take gets us priority admission.
Back in April Kevin needed an emergency hip replacement and even though his recovery was remarkably fast he occasionally has balance issues. As a result and playing it safe he brought his cane with him on this trip to France.
On the day we went to the Louvre Kevin brought the cane, knowing that there would be a lot of walking. We preordered the tickets, thinking that would get us into museum without having to line up. We booked for the last time slot of the day and ended up in a line with hundreds of people in front of us. Our son was visibly upset. I asked him him if there was priority admission for people with mobility issues. He asked us to stay in line while he investigated.
Upon his return he told us to follow him and we walked directly to the entrance where security waved us through. This is something that all travellers with babies and mobility issues should know. Once inside I can’t say that the Louvre was easy to navigate, as there are lots of stairs but fortunately my husband was able to go up and down without too much difficulty. Had we investigated a bit more we would probably have found more elevators.
Silent Sunday in Paris
….April 10, 2022
Textures in Works of Art – March 29, 2022
…textures from the Echos Show at WAAC
Pull Up a Seat and Enjoy the Art
….thanks to XingFu Mama for hosting https://xingfumama.blog/2022/02/11/pull-up-a-seat-photo-challenge-2022-week-6/
When you go to art galleries there are usually places to sit and really examine the art on the wall. The Women’s Art Association of Canada is no exception. When I was gallery sitting two weeks ago I went around the room and took photos of the interesting chairs in the Dignam Gallery.
Tuesday Textures from the AGO
….I love texture in art pieces
There are two main types of texture in art: physical or actual texture that you can feel or the illusion of texture, created by lines and marks made on the canvas. The photos that I took at the AGO last week have actual textures that you can but probably shouldn’t touch.
Sculpture Saturday – Taking in Art at the AGO Before the Lockdown
…last Tuesday, Brendan, Sevin and I decided to go to the AGO
When I booked the tickets I knew that Tuesday would be the last day before another lockdown here in Ontario. Frankly I was quite surprised at how many people had the same idea, especially since it was a Tuesday and many people were back to work, mostly remotely, but none the less there was a bit of a line-up to get in even with timed tickets.
I really wanted to see Picasso’s Blue Period but Sevin was not really into this show so we walked through quickly. Hopefully I can go back when the lockdown is lifted.
One of my favourite areas of the AGO is the Galleria Italia with its floor to ceiling windows and beautiful wooden arched beams. I thought Sevin would enjoy this more and of course she found a seat to sit in right away. Since COVID the cafe in the galleria is closed and the tables have been removed. In its place a number of bronze sculptures are prominently displayed.
Sculpture Saturday – December 4, 2021
On our recent trip to Niagara-on-the-Lake we stopped in at 13th Street Winery to sample some wine and enjoy the art gallery there. Even though the temperatures were chilly, there were fires pits going and people were sitting around them in comfy chairs to sample the wares of this winery. There’s a bakery attached that has the region’s best butter tarts. We wimped out and sampled our wine indoors.
After purchasing wine for Christmas and putting together a gift box of wine and goodies for a very special couple we headed over to the art gallery. On our way we passed several beautiful and interesting sculptures.
Mama Cormier 