The Louvre

Cosette

The Louvre’s Architecture spans over several centuries.The Louvre has one of the richest collections of art in the world.The Louvre is an incredible place to visit.

End of show

Just kidding!

The Louvre was a medieval fortress, called Lupara it was built in 1200.

When translated into French the word 'Lupara' became Louvre. (according

to the book Louvre by Pierre Quoniam)

Treasures of the Louvre by Maria

Costantino states, “It is possible that

there was a Frankish tower or fortified camp on

the site of the Louvre.... Since the name 'Louvre' itself

may be derived from the Frankish louver, meaning fortified chateau. Alternately the

origin of the name may be derived

from louveterie, the headquarters of the wolf hunt, or even

the name of a leper colony.” (page 6)

When the Louvre was no longer useful as a fortress

Charles V enlarged it to serve as a palace.

But the 100 Year War distracted the sovereigns

from the Louvre. Francois I had the keep

demolished and the rest of the building replaced with a renaissance style building.

The transformation was overseen by several architects and rulers

before it was completed.

Napoleon Bonaparte made few contributions to the Louvre. He did, however, contribute lighting and some paintings to the collection however. This Lion's Gate and one of the courtyards are named after him.

Catherine de' Medici had two large galleries built

near the Louvre. These are known as the Tuileries.

Below is a picture of the Tuileries’ gardens.

The concept of the Louvre being a The concept of the Louvre being a publicpublicart gallery came about during the art gallery came about during the French French revolution. But it was not actually revolution. But it was not actually public public for many more years. Unsuccessfully for many more years. Unsuccessfully proposed to Louis XV, the idea was proposed to Louis XV, the idea was reintroduced under Louis XVI. reintroduced under Louis XVI.

Unfortunately the project had to be abandoned because of Unfortunately the project had to be abandoned because of the the crown's financial difficulties. crown's financial difficulties. During the 18th century The During the 18th century The

Count d'Angiviller helped plan the museum and collected artwork. Count d'Angiviller helped plan the museum and collected artwork. When the Louvre finally openedWhen the Louvre finally opened in 1793 only the Great in 1793 only the Great

Gallery was on display.Gallery was on display.

The Louvre's main entrance is the famous glass pyramid by Chinese born architect I.M. Pei. The

Pyramid angered locals when it was first constructed because it contrasts the elegant style of the Louvre.

I.M. Pei was a brilliant man. “Ieoh

Ming Pei was born on April 26, 1917 in

China. He came to America in the mid

1930’s and today he is one of the most

recognizable architects in the

world. I.M Pei first attended the University of

Pennsylvania, but he lacked confidence,

he thought his drawing skills were

not up to par with his peers so he dropped out and headed to

MIT for an engineering course. Pei was soon talked

into returning to architecture by an

instructor and attended Harvard’s graduate school of design where he

studied under Walter Gropius.”

(Archpedia.com)

I.M. Pei’s Main Entrance contrasts to the rest of the building. As you can see from the Stair <- - that is located inside of the Pyramid and this stair (pictured below) that is located inside of the older section museum.

The Pyramid project was part of a major renovation which included, “A vast underground complex of offices, shops, exhibition spaces, storage areas, and parking areas, as well as an auditorium, a tourist bus depot, and a cafeteria.” (Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th Edition. Book 7. page 515)

The Louvre Today

The Louvre is in the 1st Arrondissement which is in the center of Paris. It is surrounded by fountains and water displays in the front and back and main courtyard; which give the Louvre the appearance of standing on extensive grounds, when it is really in the center of a city.

The fact that the Louvre has beautiful grounds, is not common knowledge to people who are unfamiliar with France.

The Louvre is located on the Seine River.From the Louvre’s grounds you can view the world From the Louvre’s grounds you can view the world

renown river.renown river.

The Seine River flows from the English Channel's Baie de la Seine through Paris. It then splits into several other waterways and travels into the heart of France.

The Louvre welcomes over five million annual visitors on average (5.9 million in The Louvre welcomes over five million annual visitors on average (5.9 million in 1998). Below is an aerial view of the Louvre. 1998). Below is an aerial view of the Louvre.

I.M Pei’s Pyramid >

Seine River

General admission is 8.5 Euro = 10.03595 U.S. dollars

Inside the Louvre

The Louvre has seven rich and varied sections of art,

Oriental Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek,

Etruscan and Roman Antiquities,

Paintings, Sculpture, Objets d'Art and Graphic Arts.

I will show you a few outstanding pieces of art from

some of the collections.

Print and Drawings

ORIENTAL

ART

Egyptian Antiquities

Pendant with the Name of King Osorkon II: the God

Osiris's Family This extremely precious solid

gold and lapis lazuli item of jewelry - a true masterpiece of antique goldwork - represents

the holy triad of the Osiris family. Despite the presence of the god of death, this piece was more a temple treasure than a funerary

jewel. (www.louvre.fr)

Islamic Art

Greek, Etruscan and Roman AntiquitiesGreek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities

“Law Code of Hammurabi, king of Babylon The Law Code of Hammurabi is the emblem of the Mesopotamian civilization. This high basalt stele erected by the king of Babylon in the 18th century BC is a work of art, history and literature, and the most complete legal compendium of Antiquity, dating back to earlier than the Biblical laws. Carried there by a prince from the neighboring country of Elam in Iran in the 12th century BC, the monument was exhibited on the Susa acropolis among other prestigious Mesopotamian masterpieces.”(quote and photo from: www.Louvre.fr)

I found this picture on one of my many Google image

searches. I was quite impressed with the detail and beauty of this

Greek sculpture of Aphrodite.

The Louvre has many large galleries filled with famous paintings.

The Louvre is home to

the Mona Lisa by

Leonardo da Vinci.

To quote Treasures of the

Louvre, “Undoubtedly the

jewel in the crown of the

Louvre's collection, the Mona

Lisa must be one of the most

familiar paintings in the

world. ... This picture is a

portrait of Mona or Monna

(short for Madonna) Lisa,

who was born in Florence in

1479 and in 1495 married the

Marquis del Giacondo, a

Florentine of some standing,

hence the paintings other

name 'La Giaconda'. This

identification though is still

subject to question.” (page

95)

This is a detail of Mona Lisa’s face taken off of

the Louvre’s official web site.

And Louvre states, “Virtually everything has

been said about the enigmatic smile, the

marvelous modeling of the face, the shading off

of the color values so that the light seems to

glide over the forms, the misty dreamlike

atmosphere of the background landscape.”

The Louvre has many sculptures.This is one of their many galleries.

“Winged Victory of Samothrace

The winged goddess of Victory standing on the prow

of a ship overlooked the Sanctuary of the Great Gods on the island of Samothrace.

This monument was probably an ex-voto offered by the

people of Rhodes in commemoration of a naval victory in the early second century BC. The theatrical

stance, vigorous movement, and billowing drapery of this

Hellenistic sculpture are combined with references to

the Classical period-prefiguring the baroque

aestheticism of the Pergamene sculptors.” (Picture and Quote

from: www.louvre.fr)

Which is according to Wikipedia: An art object which is any object—such as a painting, sculpture, book, etc.—that has been made in order to be a thing of beauty in itself or a symbolic statement of meaning, rather than having a practical function.

Objets d'Art.

The Louvre is an amazing building, with many stories to tell, and many secrets hiding in its vast corridors.

The Louvre is one of the most famous museums in the

world.

.. was one of the first public art

museums in history.

.. is one of the largest art

museums in the world.

.. is one of the most visited

museums in the world.

.. is home to some of the richest and

most varied collections in the

world.

Works Cited

Quoniam, Pierre.  Louvre. Paris: 1989.

Costantino, Maria.  Treasures of the Louvre. New York: Mallard Press, 1992.

Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th Edition. Micropaedia. Book 7. Chicago: 1994.

http://www.louvre.or.jp/louvre/presse/en/activites/archives/anniv.htm  (press release, from the louvre)

www.answers.com/topic/louvre

www.aviewoncities.com

www.phototravels.net/paris

http://print.google.com

http://en.wikipedia.org

www.louvre.fr

www.insecula.com

www.google.com (searches)