(continuing from february)...I shared my space in the train with this gal from Bordeaux, now living and working in London. She slept for most of the ride but woke up to tell me she was heading for Fontainebleau to visit friends and bring home some French goodies including some very smelly cheese. We arrived at Gare du Nord, and I caught a taxi to Jeanne d’Arc. My room would not be ready until the late afternoon so I began my morning travel. I got to rue de Rivoli and turned left to accidentally find Hotel du Sully with its beautiful interior gardens that led to Place des Vosges. I continued walking until I reached the Bastille metro stop and caught the metro to Odeon via Chatelet. I headed for FNAC on Blv Saint Germaine to pick up my tickets for the two museum stops. I then checked out the various stores along Blv Saint Michel before reaching Place de la Sorbonne where I planned to meet a friend. He didn’t hear right and waited for me in the Jardin du Luxembourg. We got it straightened out and met at the bar in the Place for a cup of espresso.
We returned to Place St. Michel and its resplendent fountain and lunch at Pizza Marzano. I had the pizza Manhattan which had all kinds of meats like bacon, ham, and a hamburger in the middle of the pizza. I ate the whole thing, washing it down with a bottle of Lambrusco. We shared a tiramisu. After an hour of sitting and people watching in the cafe Ruche, I wanted to get back to check in. The Lambrusco was beginning to hit me. I was in luck as bus #96 took me back to the hotel. I checked in for room 55. A nice ending to a long day.
Sunday, March 6 started with breakfast in the hotel of croissant, pain du chocolat, and baguette with beurre and figue confitur with jus de orange and café avec creme. After, I headed for the Left Bank and my visit to the Musee du Luxembourg. When I got to the bus stop, I discovered this was half-marathon Sunday and my bus was shut down for the day. Since I didn’t want to catch the metro, I took a taxi; and, with the time saved, I headed for Notre Dame and a mass for a recently departed friend. It was the last Sunday of Ordinary times before Lent. The presider was an African; maybe African priests are like our Filipino priests, young men with some vocation getting out of the poverty of their lives by becoming priests. After the mass, I decided to walk to Musee du Luxembourg.
I crossed the pont and went in search of Shakespeare & Company. I found a wi-fi free zone park off St. Julien le Pauvre in Square Rene Viviani with a fountain but no Shakespeare & Company. I decided to walk the warrens of the Left Bank and turned on my Ipod, finding Waimea Lullaby by the Brothers Cazimero. I didn’t realize but in the middle of the song, the brothers sing the song in French. Ooh, a bit of chicken skin. I walked up to the Luxembourg Gardens and found the Musee via rue Vaugirard.
The exhibit was Cranach et son temps, a contemporary look at a painter who was a major part of the Protestant Reformation. From the website, "To mark the European opening of the Musée du Luxembourg’s program dedicated to the Renaissance, the museum is reopening with an exhibition on Lucas Cranach (circa1472-1553), one of the major artists of the German Renaissance. This prolific, versatile painter whose career spanned the first half of the 16th century, is still somewhat unknown to the French public, who have not had an opportunity for some time to discover the breadth of his work. The Musée du Luxembourg’s exhibition, Cranach and his time, provides a better understanding of this artist’s place in the history of art and his involvement in the society of his time, a period marked by major political and religious upheavals. The exhibition starts by showing the European dimension of Lucas Cranach’s art, which was not only influenced by the works of Dürer, whose engravings were widely disseminated, but also by Flemish and Italian artists. To highlight these influences, the exhibition compares paintings, drawings and engravings by Cranach with the works of other artists. It devotes a significant section to his travels, which were facilitated by his appointment in 1505 as official court painter to Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony, in Wittenberg. In addition to the artistic commissions of his patron, Cranach was entrusted with diplomatic missions that played a crucial role in his rise to prominence.
At the behest of Frederick the Wise, Cranach went to Malines in Flanders in 1508, to the court of Margaret of Austria, regent of the Netherlands, where he met many artists and humanists from different countries. It was here in this dazzling society that he perfected his artistic style. He introduced a more refined elegance into his works, and turned his attention to new themes, like his half-length images of strong, virtuous women, which were immediately successful in this aristocratic milieu.
A further section of the exhibition is devoted to his representation of the nude -- a subject that occupied a central place in Cranach’s work. His highly sensual, female figures, sometimes borrowed from classical antiquity (Venus, Diana, etc), sometimes from Christian culture (Eve), are endowed with a beauty that is at times quite disturbing. And he developed a canon of beauty that is clearly at odds with the classical ideal of the Renaissance. These equivocal images, mixing eroticism with a moral message, often with a complex meaning, were highly acclaimed in their time, prompting the artist to reproduce them in a number of variants. His consummate business sense even pushed him to organise his studio more efficiently, in order to respond as quickly as possible to demand.
Above all, the exhibition emphasizes the richness and originality of Cranach’s artistic career – a career punctuated by significant encounters with leading political and religious figures of the time - a period that was shaken by the turmoil of the Protestant Reformation. In Wittenberg he was in close contact most notably with Martin Luther who was protected by Frederick the Wise. Thanks to Cranach’s talents as a portrait painter, we have accurate representations of the leading figures of his time. A committed supporter of the Reformation within a very short time, he became very involved in helping to spread the new doctrine, using his artistic skills for visual propaganda, which was then widely circulated through engravings. Through this, he contributed to the development of a new Protestant iconography without, however, giving up his commissions from the Catholic church. His fame as a painter, his position close to those in power, his proximity to intellectual circles, make Lucas Cranach one of the most unusual and astonishing figures in 16th century Europe. This exhibition is organized by the RMN-Grand-Palais, in collaboration with Bozar who designed and made his first stage at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels in autumn 2010."
I was struck at the portraits that Cranach did of some of his patrons, of the heroes of the Reformation which were like the Catholic’s holy cards, his paintings of some of the biblical figures especially Eve and St. Barbara. The were several portrayals of the martyrs Catherine, Dorothy, and Barbara, usually with the Virgin and child. Cranach also enjoyed painting the Garden scene with Adam and Eve. There was a comparative side-by-side of St. Lucrece. We returned to Place St. Michel and its resplendent fountain and lunch at Pizza Marzano. I had the pizza Manhattan which had all kinds of meats like bacon, ham, and a hamburger in the middle of the pizza. I ate the whole thing, washing it down with a bottle of Lambrusco. We shared a tiramisu. After an hour of sitting and people watching in the cafe Ruche, I wanted to get back to check in. The Lambrusco was beginning to hit me. I was in luck as bus #96 took me back to the hotel. I checked in for room 55. A nice ending to a long day.
Sunday, March 6 started with breakfast in the hotel of croissant, pain du chocolat, and baguette with beurre and figue confitur with jus de orange and café avec creme. After, I headed for the Left Bank and my visit to the Musee du Luxembourg. When I got to the bus stop, I discovered this was half-marathon Sunday and my bus was shut down for the day. Since I didn’t want to catch the metro, I took a taxi; and, with the time saved, I headed for Notre Dame and a mass for a recently departed friend. It was the last Sunday of Ordinary times before Lent. The presider was an African; maybe African priests are like our Filipino priests, young men with some vocation getting out of the poverty of their lives by becoming priests. After the mass, I decided to walk to Musee du Luxembourg.
I crossed the pont and went in search of Shakespeare & Company. I found a wi-fi free zone park off St. Julien le Pauvre in Square Rene Viviani with a fountain but no Shakespeare & Company. I decided to walk the warrens of the Left Bank and turned on my Ipod, finding Waimea Lullaby by the Brothers Cazimero. I didn’t realize but in the middle of the song, the brothers sing the song in French. Ooh, a bit of chicken skin. I walked up to the Luxembourg Gardens and found the Musee via rue Vaugirard.
The exhibit was Cranach et son temps, a contemporary look at a painter who was a major part of the Protestant Reformation. From the website, "To mark the European opening of the Musée du Luxembourg’s program dedicated to the Renaissance, the museum is reopening with an exhibition on Lucas Cranach (circa1472-1553), one of the major artists of the German Renaissance. This prolific, versatile painter whose career spanned the first half of the 16th century, is still somewhat unknown to the French public, who have not had an opportunity for some time to discover the breadth of his work. The Musée du Luxembourg’s exhibition, Cranach and his time, provides a better understanding of this artist’s place in the history of art and his involvement in the society of his time, a period marked by major political and religious upheavals. The exhibition starts by showing the European dimension of Lucas Cranach’s art, which was not only influenced by the works of Dürer, whose engravings were widely disseminated, but also by Flemish and Italian artists. To highlight these influences, the exhibition compares paintings, drawings and engravings by Cranach with the works of other artists. It devotes a significant section to his travels, which were facilitated by his appointment in 1505 as official court painter to Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony, in Wittenberg. In addition to the artistic commissions of his patron, Cranach was entrusted with diplomatic missions that played a crucial role in his rise to prominence.
At the behest of Frederick the Wise, Cranach went to Malines in Flanders in 1508, to the court of Margaret of Austria, regent of the Netherlands, where he met many artists and humanists from different countries. It was here in this dazzling society that he perfected his artistic style. He introduced a more refined elegance into his works, and turned his attention to new themes, like his half-length images of strong, virtuous women, which were immediately successful in this aristocratic milieu.
A further section of the exhibition is devoted to his representation of the nude -- a subject that occupied a central place in Cranach’s work. His highly sensual, female figures, sometimes borrowed from classical antiquity (Venus, Diana, etc), sometimes from Christian culture (Eve), are endowed with a beauty that is at times quite disturbing. And he developed a canon of beauty that is clearly at odds with the classical ideal of the Renaissance. These equivocal images, mixing eroticism with a moral message, often with a complex meaning, were highly acclaimed in their time, prompting the artist to reproduce them in a number of variants. His consummate business sense even pushed him to organise his studio more efficiently, in order to respond as quickly as possible to demand.
Above all, the exhibition emphasizes the richness and originality of Cranach’s artistic career – a career punctuated by significant encounters with leading political and religious figures of the time - a period that was shaken by the turmoil of the Protestant Reformation. In Wittenberg he was in close contact most notably with Martin Luther who was protected by Frederick the Wise. Thanks to Cranach’s talents as a portrait painter, we have accurate representations of the leading figures of his time. A committed supporter of the Reformation within a very short time, he became very involved in helping to spread the new doctrine, using his artistic skills for visual propaganda, which was then widely circulated through engravings. Through this, he contributed to the development of a new Protestant iconography without, however, giving up his commissions from the Catholic church. His fame as a painter, his position close to those in power, his proximity to intellectual circles, make Lucas Cranach one of the most unusual and astonishing figures in 16th century Europe. This exhibition is organized by the RMN-Grand-Palais, in collaboration with Bozar who designed and made his first stage at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels in autumn 2010."
After the walk through the musee, I left for Place Rostand, passing the photograph exhibit on the fence of the Gardens. The theme this year was the enjoyment of the female life, exhibiting photos of marriage, family. I had a coffee at the terrasse at Le Rostand while I read the synopsis of Siegfried.
I caught a taxi and got off to walk down the rue de Rivoli and enjoy the half-marathon, hearing the people yelling bravo and cheering with cries of allez. I ended up at the restaurant Les Fous d’en Face which is a term used to talk about the crazy people opposite by people who don’t know that they are a bit bonkers themselves. I enjoyed a cassoulet maison with a glass of Sancerre, rather light and dry. The meal was hearty and served as my main deal of the day.
I walked over to Opera Bastille for the matinee performance of Siegfried. I was sitting in Porte Allee 05B, rang 21, and place 31. No sooner had I settled in, then I heard the announcement. Since it was in French, I didn’t understand what was being said, but judging from the reaction someone was not singing. And it sounded like two singers, and the audience reacted. And when the opera started, I found out that Siegfried was to be sung by Christian Voigt and pantomimed by the great heldentenor Torsten Kerl and Wotan sung by Egils Silins and pantomimed (joue sur scene par) by Alejandro Stadler. Juha Uusitalo was originally supposed to sing the role of The Wanderer (Wotan).
The first act’s set was busy and the scenes between Mime, Siegfried, and The Wanderer seemed ponderous although important in connecting the earlier operas to what will happen in acts 2 and 3. Siegfried despises Mime who brought him up after Sieglinde died in childbirth. The fighting between the two is obvious, and the Wanderer enters trying to find his gold and riches.
The second act begins with a long musical interlude. There was a chorus marching across the stage, and it seemed the members were exposing their members. Boy, more male nudity. They marched across the stage three times in various stages of arousal. They then sat down and were observers/slaves in the Nibelungen where Alberich meets the Wanderer, where Siegfried finds out about the Ring and the helmet, defeats the Giant amidst treacherous deceit. The Wanderer begins the decline that will be completed in Gotterdamerung.
The curtain rises on the third act with a fifty-step riser with Brunhilde lying in the middle and the guardian warriors in the upper right-hand quadrant. The whole opera comes to life with Brunhilde played by Katarina Dalayman singing her lungs out. The duet singing is strong, and I only wonder how it would have been if Torsten were in full voice. Katarina Dalayman, born January 25, 1963 in Stockholm, is a Swedish soprano who has found critical acclaim singing major operatic roles by composers such as Wagner, Berg, Shostakovich and Bartók, among others.
After the opera, I walked back to the hotel, stopping at a grocery store to buy Orangina Grenadine.
My Parisian interlude continued on March 7 (Lundi) when I woke up this morning to the music of Julien Dore. After breakfast, I left the hotel and caught #96 to Place St. Michel. Taking a closer look at my map, I found Shakespeare & Company and entered to the ending of Hawaiian Cowboy being played on the CD. After a walk around the place to the second floor with its reading area, I bought Craig Russell’s The Carnival Master. I then had to hurry to Opera so I took the bus to Opera in search of Pinacotheque de Paris and its special exhibits. One was the Romanov Collection. The Pinacothèque de Paris shows The Treasures of the Romanov, an exceptional collection of a hundred pieces from the Saint-Petersbourg’s Ermitage Museum. The second part of the exhibit was the Esterhazy collection. A great noble Hungarian family, whose roots go back to the Middle Ages, the Esterházys, faithful to the Habsburg’s imperial crown, served Austria as well in the army as in the civil service. As early as the 17th century, the Esterházy princes –the great Palatine Paul (1635-1713) and Nicolas First “the Magnificent » (1714-1790)– created their art collection as a testimony to their splendor. The collection reached its apex with Nicolas II (1765-1833), an enlightened patron and amateur; at his death, the collection contained 1156 paintings.
After visiting the Pinacotheque, I caught the metro to meet up with a friend at his yoga studio. No, not to do yoga but to catch up on what he’s been doing since I last saw him. His studio is near the Folies Bergere, maybe to help the dancers stretch. He finally finished his degree in international economics and, along with his yoga work, he works for a researcher for Parliament. He jokingly calls his research work as think tank work.
After our meeting, I meet up with another friend at Place du Republique, and we walked over in search of l’homme bleu which will not be open until Tuesday. We then caught bus #96 to return to rue de Turenne and lunch at Café Marche des Enfants Rouge (French term for orphans). I ordered an entrecote avec frites. I enjoyed the meal with a 25 cl of Montepulciano and dessert of apple tartine.
The French are always looking for ways to exhibit art, even if it is nothing more than a paper mural on the wall of an alleyway. The mural was titled De Gauche A Droite with pictures of famous French people like Simone Signoret.
I had café creme at the Bar On The Corner and enjoyed the afternoon sun. I walked back to the hotel and stopped at Zakoya to buy ties on sale for 5 euros.
We met up in the Place de St. Catherine for dinner at Bistrot de la Place de St. Catherine. I started with onion soup which was very ordinary. I followed up with pot au feu (pot on fire), a wintry comfort food that resembles a tomato-less beef stew. It was yummy way to end the day.
Tuesday began with hotel breakfast. After breakfast, I took bus #96 to Montparnasse to visit the Musee de Bourdelle. I was a little early so I had an espresso at Bistrot Ovalie.
I entered the museum and plunked my 20 euros, but was told by the cashier that it was gratuite, first Tuesday being free at city museums. So that was nice. However, the museum had a visiting class of first graders. Oh, it was going to be noisy; but, no, this was the best behaved class I have ever witnessed.
The first impression upon entering the grand space was the scope of Bourdelle’s projects, three being the most prominent. One was the mural for Theatre Champs Elysee; another was General Alvear, a memorial for an Argentine hero; and the third “The Monument to Adam Mickiewicz,” a Polish poet hero, this monumental statue standing near Place de la Alma. Two other pieces with vision were the Dying Centaur and Hercules the Archer killing the birds of Stymphalos. His work was so overwhelming that Rodin decided to work with Bourdelle as his mentor.
After the visit, I returned to La Ruche to meet up with my friend. I ordered café creme; and, noticing an item on the menu, I ordered a hot dog. Of course, it was a French hot dog, 18 inches in an 18 inch baguette covered with melted cheese. Somehow I finished it.
We walked down rue Lecourbe and bought some chocolate from Jeff de Bruges and continued our walk down the rue to FNAC. We caught the metro to Sentier for lunch at Comptoir du Commerce where I had Tandoori poulet with rice. I had Leffe beer with the meal.
After lunch, we walked down the petits Carreaux, stopping at Paul for two snails and Stroher for a Napoleon and ended up with coffee from the terrasse by St. Eustache. We then walked toward Les Halles, visiting Open de Ville, a design store. We walked over to rue de Rambuteau to buy praluline(a must if you are ever in Paris. By the way, we kept running into girls dressed up for Mardi Gras (French for fat).
We returned to Les Halles to kill some time land watch a film. The timing was such that we watched The Jewish Connection aka Holy Rollers.
After the film, we went to L’homme Bleu for dinner. I had chicken tagine with couscous. I enjoyed this hearty comfort meal with a bottle of Moroccan red. We ended the meal with various baklavas.
I caught #96 back right after the meal because I had an early morning return to London.
On March 9 (Wednesday), I took a taxi to Gare du Nord.
I arrived early for the train ride back, but better early than rushing to arrive on time. Once on board, on train 2, I had the row to myself as the train was not full. While on board, I ordered a grand café creme to have with the snail I bought at Paul. My final day in London and my flight home will have to wait for a third entry.
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