Storm Clouds Over the Louvre, Paris

by Liesl Walsh

Title

Storm Clouds Over the Louvre, Paris

Artist

Liesl Walsh

Medium

Photograph - Digital Photograph

Description

A couple years ago my husband and I put everything in storage to travel Europe. It was a crazy adventure! We left with no return date or home to come back to. My husband loves to travel, and I love photography. We sailed across the Atlantic and couldn't wait to explore Paris. I was an art teacher and wanted to see all the museum art that I had studied in art history class.

We rented an apartment in the Latin Quarter and lived like locals, riding the metro, riding bikes and walking everywhere. We often walked all the way down to the Seine River to Notre Dame. I will never forget the moment we walked across one of the beautiful bridges and saw the Eiffel Tower for the very first time in the distance! Wow! And the Louvre was on the other side of the Seine!

While we were there Paris ended up getting continual rain for a week, and it was the flood of the century. The Seine River crested at 17 meters, making it impossible for the boats to go under the bridges. And the metro line that went to the Eiffel Tower flooded keeping it closed. It was difficult to take photos outside.

During all the rain we decided it was the perfect time to spend an entire day inside the Louvre. However, to get there we walked down the street in a downpour and through a waterfall cascading down the steps into the underground entrance of the metro. Our umbrella was our best friend!

I absolutely loved the Louvre! It was my favorite place to visit in Paris. We came back again and again, even just to see the outside.
Its grand architecture is impressive. It's so large we ended up getting lost inside the many hallways and passageways. It took us two hours to figure out how to get to the lower level to see the ancient sculptures.

This photo was taken during the week of continual rain before the flood. Thankfully the rain had stopped briefly so I could take the photo. The storm clouds hung over the Lourvre, and tourists walked on wet pavement in the courtyard. This was taken from inside the upstairs of the Louvre near Napoleon's apartment.

The Louvre is located on the the Right Bank of the Seine in the 1st arrondissement of the city. Nearly 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited at the Louvre. The Louvre was originally built as a fortress in the late 12th century under Philip II. You can see the remnants of the fortress in the basement. The Louvre was a palace and was extended many times. In 1682 Louis XIV left the Louvre and made Versailles his palace, making the Louvre a place to display the royal collection. In 1692 the Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres and the Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture occupied the Louvre and held salons. The Academie remained at the Louvre for 100 years. During the French Revolution the Louvre became a museum to display the nation's masterpieces. Under Napoleon the collection was increased, but after his abdication some of his works seized by armies were returned to their original owners. The Museum has 3 wings: Sully, Denon, and Richelieu. Inbetween the Richelieu and Denon is the main court, the Cour Napoleon, which has a new main entrance under a glass pyramid built in 1988. From this courtyard you can see Napoleon's Arc du Carrousel, behind it the Tuileries Gardens, and in the distance the ferris wheel at the Place de la Concorde. From inside the Louvre upstairs you can see the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

You can read about our adventure in Europe in my husband's book, "Vagabonds in France", by Michael A. Barry. Come with us as we lose our home, put everything in storage, and navigate through Europe for a few months with no return date or home to come back to. Sail across the Atlantic, dodge pickpockets, climb mountains, descend into the Paris Metro, endure nasty weather and illness, witness the flood of the century, and meet some wonderful and not-so-wonderful people. Chuckle with us as we live among the French and try to learn their ways and language. Then make it back home to an empty house we'd never seen before. I illustrated the book with 75 illustrations. The book is available in both paperback and Kindle on Amazon at http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NCUNSEK

SOLD:
12" x 8" Print on Luster Photo Paper from buyer in Morganville, NJ on 8-26-2019. Thank you!

Featured in the following FAA Groups:
Music CD Cover Designs 3-30-2018
Collectors Gallery 3-30-2018
The Grayscale Outdoors 3-30-2018
Black and White - The Art Form 3-30-2018
Lady Photographers and Artists 3-30-2018
Artistic Photography 3-31-2018
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Fine Arts Professionals 4-1-2018
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Black and White Photography 4-1-2018
USA Photographers Only 4-1-2018
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Five Star Artist 4-3-2018
Creative Black and White Fine Art Photographs 4-3-2018
Images That Excite You 4-3-2018
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Picturesque Neighborhoods of the World 4-3-2018
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Words Have Wings - Stories and Vignettes 4-3-2018
World Landscape Lovers of Art 4-3-2018
Midwest USA and International Scenery 4-3-2018
Mind-Blowing Photography 4-3-2018
France Photography and Paints 4-4-2018
10 Plus 4-4-2018
Nature Landmarks Landscapes Wildlife 4-5-2018
Forward Exposure 4-12-2018
New FAA Uploads 4-14-2018
Travel Art 4-17-2018
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The World We See Group 8-23-2018
1000 Views 9-24-2019
500 Views Share Group 9-24-2019
500 Views 11-10-2019
Art Forever With You 11-12-2019
Just Perfect 11-14-2019

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March 30th, 2018

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