Saturday, March 25, 2006

The Louvre's Ingres, Lush Skin and Fabric

When we were in Paris (I just love saying that), our ticket to the Louvre included the special collection of paintings by someone unfamiliar to me, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres. Everywhere we went, images of a nude woman, looking back over her shoulder, had advertised the show. When we finally stumbled into the lower level of the Louvre, after nearly seven hours of viewing the arts, to see what the fuss was about, we were stunned at both the quality and the quantity of these paintings. Now an article and a slide show by The New York Times offer a glimpse into the man and his work. Those who had come to see that show in the Louvre, primarily a French audience, apparently knew what they were coming for. I was bowled over by the dramatic quality of the work and by the sheer number of them, including several portraits of Napoleon.
Here are two of my favorites. If you want to check it out, read the article and view the slide show: Ingres at the Louvre: His Pursuit of a Higher Reality, an art review by Michael Kimmelman.

1 comment:

Amy75 said...

Hi John, I'm glad I visited your blog. Seeing this post has inspired me to return to the Louvre. I made a quick visit and went straight to the Mona Lisa to see what all the fuss was about, but the pictures you've posted, as well as your description tells me it deserves a second and longer visit. Thank you! Amy