November, short version, Part II

Music: The Album Leaf

I am writing in a rush and do not have time for long explanations or descriptive ramblings, so here goes a very, very short update.

Elana and I attended a concert at the Englise de la Madeleine. This massive building was first designed to glorify Napoleon’s army and with its Neo-Classical style, is one of the most beautiful churches I have yet to see in Paris. The concert included an inspiring sung rendition of “Ave Maria,” and a great performance of Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” among other things. Most striking was the contrast of the musicians, gently swaying with their violins, and the large statue of Mary Magdalene being carried up to heaven by two angels that stood directly behind them. Earth and sky, human and stone, music and faith became inseparable.

The next day, Elana and I met up to continue my exploration of St. Germain des Pres. Mostly, we visited de Musee D’Orsay, which I thoroughly enjoyed. In particular, I got to see one of my favorite Millet painting, several of my beloved Degas pieces [though not all because I did not get to the bathers section], and some of Van Gogh. I also had the opportunity of learning more about artists I was not too familiar with. Sidenote: I love audio guides! One of my favorite things about this museum is that, especially in its size and distribution, it is not overwhelming; in addition, the architectural contrasts that its old “train station” interior allows for are very aesthetically pleasing.

After this, we visited St. Germain des Pres, which is the oldest church in Paris, bought yet another crepe from a street stand, and embarked on an exploration of the local contemporary art galleries. The area is known for having plenty of these, but my favorite by far, was the Galerie Breheret, where I uncovered an artist whose use of color and shape was, for the first time in a long time, refreshing. His name is Guy Charon and apparently he was recently [several years ago] added to the list of French Masters [this is a book which documents painters and artists of French origin who have earned the categorization of “master”]. His canvases seem almost like a caricature of real life – with thick outlines, bright colors, and blue shadows – but I like them precisely because they do not seem like simplifications to me at all. They have deliberate warmth in their point of view and posses an obstinate desire to show the smallest details as beautiful, alive, full of color. Examples of his work, for the curious, can be found here: http://www.galerie-breheret.com/CHARON07.htm

We finished the day by having a tasty but much too expensive dinner at Café de Flore, a renowned little spot that JP Sartre used to frequent. Located on the Blvd. St Germain, it is in the very center of this lively and beautiful area of Paris, and worth the money if one does not go there too often. This area also has incredible street performers on weekends, which creates an atmosphere that, like I mentioned in one of my October post titled “I need more hard rain and good music,” reminds me that Nietzsche was very much correct in stating that life without music would be an error.