As some of you may know, I am spending my fall semester on a study abroad to Paris. As a geography major, I can easily make excuses for this semester's academic importance, but the truth is that I just really wanted to go to Paris. I have been taking French classes for nearly seven years, and have been interested in the language, culture, and history for even longer. My major reason for coming to Paris, besides growing more confident in my language skills, is to surround myself in art of every form. Perhaps unfortunately, for me that begins with the Ancient Greeks. For class (it is a study abroad, after all) I have been instructed to write a series of blog posts on the actual art we have found around Paris. Last week we visited le Petit Palais, a free art museum just off the Champs-Élysées. Despite its name, le Petit Palais est très grand, and we had nowhere near enough time to see it all, instead focusing on areas key to the course. In addition to Byzantine icons and Northern Renaissance landscapes and still lifes, that meant Ancient Greek and Roman pottery. The Ancient Greeks adopted their early art styles from the Egyptians. Figures were lacking in both detail and emotion, instead being rigid and all carrying the same basic pose. As time went on, the Greeks increased their detail, making men more muscular and even painting patterns onto clothes and experimenting with different colors. (This was still limited in comparison to today, as their expanded palette was four, and one has since faded.) Greek society was reflected in their art, as they worshiped gods who looked and acted like men, focusing on the importance of the individual. In turn, the Romans mimicked the Greeks. Just as with their gods, roman art is mostly unoriginal, with a few timely and practical tweaks. The day after the Petit Palais we spent class at le Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a former seat of the French court that now houses France's National Archealogical Museum. There we learned about the history of the building (well, those that were paying attention did) and saw several toys, glass objects, and rings from Roman times. My personal favorite were the roosters. We also spent some time discussing a mosaic, which in Roman times would have only been on the floor, and never a wall decoration. I finished my trip to Saint-Germain-en-Laye with a quick peek at some cave art, then returned to Paris for a quick trip to C&A and a nap. (I had a fever, but I needed to buy a coat first!)
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I'm Audrey, a college student and existential rambler.
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