The Mona Lisa was OK if you like looking at art behind six inches of plexiglass in a high school gym with really nice floors (Take a look if you don't believe me) but what really struck me about Paris was all of the great street art! Here's Charleston's own Shephard Fairey (and a bunch of others!).
I love the signage associated with early 20th-century European metros. One of the coolest things about them is the lack of consistency from stop-to-stop. Often, each stop has a design associated with the location and the era that neighborhood first became hot. Many new train lines all around the world try to embrace this concept but the ones that developed organically — like Paris and Barcelona — are unique in that the signage is authentic because it was actually created at the time the neighborhood earned it... rather than being awarded the honor half a century later.
This photograph was captured with a Nikon D90.
The Mona Lisa is a victim of her own success. She lives in a basketball court-sized room behind green bulletproof glass, stanchioned off a dozen feet from her admirers. Visiting her was the most anticlimactic art experience I've ever had.
And it was fascinating. The room is large and packed with people. You can see her at the far end of the room as you enter but by the time you work your way through the crowd, the magic of the artwork has vanished. All you notice are the security measures and all of the humanity pressed against one another. Interestingly, it seems that most people feel the same way. As you collectively slink out of the Mona Lisa's basketball court, you want to make something good out of your famous art pilgrimage so you carefully investigate the artwork on the other walls. This further perplexes guests as they arrive to a room full of people looking at anything but the world's most famous piece of art.
This photograph was captured with a Nikon D90.
Most people go to Paris for the romance and delicious food. Or they go for the centuries-old art and architecture. I love Paris for all of that but what intrigues me the most about Paris is the embarrassment of riches when it comes to street art. A keen eye is always watched over by Space Invader... or Dig Dug. Even Shephard Fairey, creator of the now immortal Obama Hope poster, has works on display with Andre the Giant.
This photograph was captured with a Nikon D90.
The art deco Metro station signs in Paris have more than stood the test of time. In fact, I think the patina they have gained over the years makes them more alluring. It's easy to imagine Hemingway and his cohorts rushing down these stairs past this sign nearly 100 years ago.
I find it hard to believe that any new underground train line in today's era would spend the time to have artisans craft such appealing signage. It reminds you that there was an era where the train was a luxury and not a second or third choice.
This photograph was captured with a Nikon D90.
Happy Valentine's Day! This is my Valentine, along the Seine in the City of Love. The Eiffel Tower can be seen, far downstream, keeping watch over Paris. I find that the Eiffel Tower is almost more impressive from a distance as you see how high it towers over all of the thick six-story apartment blocks all around Paris.
This photograph was captured with a Nikon D90.
The Citroën design center on Paris' Champs-Élysées lives up to its name! One of my favorite things about European cities is the architectural juxtaposition between old and new and the way they are often tightly integrated.
This photograph was captured with a Nikon D90.
When we were in Paris, Invader was all over the place. This one was on the statues leading over the Louvre Seine Bridge. A bit of old world photoshop brush palette meets the Olde World.
This photograph was captured with a Nikon D90.
This world-famous monument/fountain is located in the south entrance to the Luxembourg Gardens in the 6th arrondissement of Paris. It was designed and sculpted by Jena-Baptise Carpeaux. The women in the fountain represent the four parts of the world and were initially criticized as "thin, unhealthy women with wasted flanks... furrowed thighs... twisting around in a bizarre circle without any grace." Ten years later, after Carpeaux's death, it was heralded as a masterpiece.
The best part for me about strolling past these statues and through the Luxembourg Gardens is recalling Ernest Hemingway's musings on wandering through the gardens with his young son when Paris was the burgeoning writer's hometown and he was so poor he'd have to hunt for pigeons in the gardens with a slingshot between paychecks.
This photograph was captured with a Nikon D90.