Wednesday 25 April 2012

Paris Leftovers

My first visit to Paris with The Thinker
 
My first visit to Paris was back in High School. I was 16 and about to enter into my final two years where I would complete an A level in Art. Art has always had a strong hold on my life. I am a sensitive soul. I am that person who may well tear up in the middle of the Tate or Louvre. As a child I have precious memories of watching my grandfather paint. When I would arrive at my grandparents home in Bath, England, for the summer holidays my Granddad would pass me a sketchbook and smile. "That had better be full by the end of the week" he would say. I remember walking in the woods with him and sketching the trees and hills. I remember sitting at his easel on their lawn, looking down the beautiful valley and learning about perspective. My talented mother also sculpts - her vision inspires me and her work amazes me. I like the idea of creating something. I love that we are co creators with God. God created us to be creative. I remember an artist once telling me, "if you don't create it, the world will never have it". We all have unique skills that mean that no two people will create the same thing. That is a beautiful thing.
Over Spring Break when I returned to Paris for the first time in almost six years, one thing was non-negotiable - I had to go back to Musee de l'Orangerie. The large Monet lily pads captivated me back in High School and I just had to see them again. So, on my final morning in the city, I ditched parted company with my friend Laura for a couple of hours. It was worth it.
This weekend I was watching Midnight in Paris under the stars in our local Market Square on large screen. There was a moment in the movie when the characters visit de l'Orangerie. I gasped. The paintings get me, even when they are in a movie. My friend beside me sighed. He said he didn't get it. But that is ok. We are all free to be moved by different things. We all see beauty differently.
Here are some left over snaps of Paris. This will be my last post on my trip. Promise.











3 comments:

Tiana said...

its all soo beautiful.
i so desperately want to travel!
one day :)
xoxo,
tiana of l'esthetique

Amy @ My Life and Other Nonsense said...

"if you don't create it, the world will never have it" LOVE that! What a great post. How lucky you are to have parents and grandparents that are artistic and that they fostered that in you from a young age.

Mrs. W. said...

I would love to see these things.