Cluny Museum: The Birth of Civilization and the Birth of Paris The Cluny Museum is a hidden treasure in Paris, having been once a monastery this museum has interesting history to trace. Walking inside it automatically transports you to another era. The Romans baths,gothic sculptures, religious stained glass and wood carvings are absolutely unique. Walking around the museum, one is able to notice that most of the art revolves around religious themes. I think it is obvious that religion dominates the museum given that it is concentrated on the Cluny order. The Cluny order was not like any other order back in the day. The Cluny order was composed of intellectual monks who sought God in beauty. The Cluniacs produced impressive art in order to discover God. In the Cluny museum one can find wooden and stone sculptures. The sculptures differ in themes and in artistic traits. Some of the stone sculptures were about kings, while wooden sculptures were religious. I preferred the wooden sculptures because they had many details and could tell you a story if you paid close attention to it. One of my favorite sculptures was one in which the life of Jesus Christ is depicted. I was astonished when I realized that the sculpture told the story since the annunciation to the Virgin Mary to his crucifixion. Another part of the museum I really enjoyed was the tapestries. Being in a room surrounded by the “Woman and the Unicorn” tapestries was incredible. The story behind them is that there is one tapestry for each of our 5 senses. The curious thing to think about is that there are 6 tapestries. Throughout the years, people have come up with conclusions about what the sixth tapestry may represent; for me it represents love. “À Mon Seul Désir” is a phrase woven in the tapestry, to me this phrase means that she is waiting for her only true desire in life, which is love. ---------------------------------------------------------------   The Louvre: From Castle to Palace to Museum You can’t go to Paris and not visit the Louvre, THE most extraordinary museum. To be able to enjoy the Louvre you need a lot of time, of course it is impossible to visit the whole museum in one day. It amazes me how the Louvre has collections from all over the world, such as Egyptian, Greek and Roman just to name a few. With a visit to the Louvre, people are able to see the rise of civilization from its earliest times. Walking through the museum I noticed that sculptures of Greek and Roman mythology repeat themselves. People from different cultures and times were amazed with the gods and goddesses. It is important for us to now the stories of Ancient Mythology in order to understand and appreciate this form of art. I believe that in part ancient mythology and current religious traditions are the same. People back in the day used to look up to the gods and goddess and respect them, just as people do today with saints. Something that amazed me was the amount of people who were infront of the Mona Lisa trying to take a picture. I'm not saying that there's something wrong about it, but people do not know that just around the corner there is another Da Vinci's piece of art. People concentrate so much on the Mona Lisa that they feel they have seen everything once they have her before their eyes. To be able to see early navigation tools is fascinating. It is amazing how people invented those tools and used them to explore our world. Without the navigation tools, people wouldn’t have gone as far as theydid with exploration and maybe there would still be undiscovered places. ----------------------------------------------------------   The Pantheon: The Enlightenment, the Rise of Science and the Individual The French Revolution is the most important period in France’s history. It was a time when people were fed up of the monarchy and their laws, that they decided it was time to get rid of them. The powerful monarchy who had ruled throughout history collapsed. Old ideas about the monarchy, the elite and religious authority were substituted by Enlightenment ideals of equality and rights. During the French Revolution, the Church was severely criticized by the people. People had resentment towards the Church because it had influence over the government. The Church did not pay any taxes to the government, but it collected a tax from poor people. People wanted to overthrow the Church because it discriminated them. I think it is sad how the church cared about having money and power rather than helping individuals during tough circumstances. Enlightenment thinkers such as Voltaire and Victor Hugo supported the people and reinforced ideals. It was not easy to accomplish such success,
but with determination and dedication it was possible to have a new nation. The Pantheon is the first monument that is not dedicated to the aristocracy or religion. The purpose of the Pantheon is to honor the people who supported the idea of the Enlightenment and thus helped built a new society and nation. I believe that having this monument is very important; it represents the people’s new ideas of wanting to accomplish goals that were impossible before. The Pantheon represents the rise of the individual, technology and science. The fact that Foucault’s pendulum is in display at the Pantheon supports the idea of the creation of scientific processes and technology. Foucault’s pendulum is scientifically important and used for several reasons. The pendulum can be used to provide accurate time keeping, measure gravity and demonstrate how the earth spins. This great invention was just the beginning of magnificent creations. ---------------------------------------------------------------   Sacre Coeur/ Montmartre: A Puzzle of Artistic Styles Walking up the hill of Montmartre in order to visit Sacre Coeur is a total different experience. I was able to see a different part of Paris that feels so unique. Being at a place that has an amazing history makes me go back to those days to understand how everything used to be. Once you are in front of the church, there are so many things to look at. There are details everywhere that it is hard to focus just on some of them. While small details may escape your eyes, there are some others such as the statues of Christ, Joan of Arc and St. Louis that are impossible to ignore. Given that one of the reasons the church was built was to commemorate the lost lives of the Franco-Prussian war and of the Commune, it is reasonable that a statue of the brave Joan of Arc is set before the Basilica. The first thing I noticed when I entered the Basilica, was the enormous mosaic. This giant mosaic represents for me the greatness of Christ. Looking carefully at it I was able to see The Sacred Heart being worshipped by the Virgin Mary, St. Michael the
Archangel and Joan of Arc. I support the idea that religion has been commercialized, especially in tourist places such as Sacre Coeur. In my opinion, selling souvenirs inside a church or charging to enter a specific part of it should not be allowed. The church by itself is a concrete evidence of the Commune that took place in 1871; it was built as a way of redeeming people’s sins which were thought as being the cause of France’s misfortunes. Walking around Montmartre gives you that bohemian feeling that still prevails in the streets. I could only imagine bohemian artists such as Van Gogh, Picasso and Dali roaming around the streets getting inspired to portray their feelings in their canvases. Looking at the current artists’ paintings do not compare to the classical art I have already seen. Classical art was mostly about religious themes, while the art I saw was mostly about famous landscapes. I definitely have to go back to Montmartre and explore it even more; I would love to visit Dali’s permanent exposition as well as Picasso’s first workshop in Paris. ------------------------------------------------------------------------   Quai D'Orsay: From Train Station to Museum of Impressionism Impressionism was one of the most important periods in history. Although, it was not accepted by the majority of the people at first, it was considered offensive and vulgar. Artists no longer had limits, now their imaginations could flow with liberty. This period allowed artists to paint about their personal interests, feelings and themselves. I believe that impressionism was considered offensive for two reasons. To begin with, it broke with all classical tradition. Artists now had the option of painting different things such as landscapes and not just religious or royal themes. Secondly, artists could now embody their own ideas or beliefs. In my perspective, people thought it was dangerous because artists had an open mind and could influence people’s ideals. Impressionism is valued across the globe because it continued
growing and led to new ideas in art. I think many people consider it a truly creative movement because artists broke all types of restraints and could now express themselves in any way they wanted. It was a time when people were able to explore their surroundings and find who they truly were. The way I interpret the fact that critics claimed impressionism was just a fashion and not art is that they thought it was a brief movement that sooner or later would be over. Given that impressionism was totally different from other movements that were considered art, critics believed people would not support it enough and eventually would have to end. I suppose that the way artists played with colors and movement was not considered beautiful art. For many years, people were used to classical paintings in which everything was solemn and to suddenly have something so radical seemed impossible for them to call it art. --------------------------------------------------------------------------    Natural History Museum: The Divide Between Humas and Other Animals After visiting museums dedicated to the greatness of human beings, it is interesting to visit a museum with a different purpose. Walking around the paleontology gallery is amazing! It is incredible how insignificant human beings are compared to animals. If human’s body structure is complex I can’t find a word that could properly describe the complexity of an animal’s body structure. Unfortunately, humans have forgotten the importance of animals in our world. Humans have a sense of superiority and tend to ignore that we all live in the same planet; we have to remember that we depend on animals as much as they depend on us to survive. I wouldn’t say that humans are superior to animals, to my mind it’s just an advantage. I believe humans have a great advantage just simply because we are able to analyze and reason. Unfortunately, the majority of the people use that advantage against themselves and the world. For me, animals and humans deserve the same respect, neither is more important than the other. Our human advantage automatically translates to human responsibility towards the planet. We are the only specie that is able to take care of our planet and ironically we are the ones that have done the most damage to it. Defining a human could be a broad definition, given that there are many qualities that make us one. Of course the first explanations would be our unique physical and psychological traits. I think that being a human has a profound meaning that most people have not yet discovered. Being a human means to be able to analyze and reason situations, suffer and go through inevitable pain which will make us understand life a little, pursuit our happiness and help people as much as possible. These are just some of my ideas of what being a human is about. Myexperience abroad has helped me sharpened by idea of what being a human is. I am so grateful of having this opportunity, because there is so much of the world to see and learn. I wish leaders of powerful countries would travel and coexist for a while with people in third world countries, that way they could get a sense of what humanity is going through while most people ignore them. -------------------------------------------------------
 My experience is Paris made me appreciate nature even more than before. Hopefully, humans will soon understand the importance of taking care of our world. People should stop and think about the future, would you like for your sons and daughters not to know what real beauty in nature is? Here is a short video about landscapes to think about the question. |
Eiffel Tower: An Enigmatic Cultural IconThe first time I had the Eiffel Tower in front of my eyes, I was astonished. No picture I had ever seen before could compare to a minimum to the amazing wonder I was looking at. I felt excitement running through my body; I couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. It is incredible how critics in 1889 truly detested it for being made of industrial material. People were not sure whether something made of iron could be called art. In my own point of view, the Eiffel Tower is a majestic piece of architecture. An amazing job has to be done in order to make iron look as beautiful as it looks like in the French icon. A month ago, my thoughts about the Eiffel Tower were completely different compared to my thoughts today. It is amazing how much history there is behind it. I admire it primarily because of its history and secondly because of its beauty. The Eiffel Tower represents the world coming together into one whole. In my own perspective, the tower symbolizes the beginning of a new world. A world running with technology and science with people who now have their eyes wide open to new horizons. I believe there are several purposes of visiting the tower. The most important purpose can only be achieved if people are educated about the history of it. It is then when one can truly admire its architecture, the amazing vistas of the city and of course take the memorable picture with it. I find it incredible how many languages one is able to hear while walking around the Eiffel Tower. People from all over the world gather at this point to take a look at this monumental icon. Observing people from every nationality makes me imagine that the World Fair comes alive every day. ---------------------------------------------------------   Romanesque and Gothic Churches: Religious and Cultural Epicenters There are many people who judge something as being ugly without really looking deeply into it. The problem with human beings nowadays is that they do not look beyond the superficial appearance. Religion has taught me that there is beauty in every single thing surrounding us. In order to appreciate beauty, we have to stop looking at things with our human eye and start using our spiritual eye. Unfortunately, the modern concept of beauty is based on physical and superficial appearances. Thus, creating serious psychological problems in people who do not understand that beauty is not measured by how they look. If people could stop only for a moment they would realize that physical appearances do not define a person or the goodness a person has, but that real beauty is inside us. Architects in the thirteenth century wanted to find beauty by building enormous Gothic Churches. I believe that Gothic architecture is defined as “architecture with agenda” because architects had numerous ideas they wanted to implement at the same time, but had to wait 200 years in order to complete their masterpiece. The flying buttresses allowed the church to stand higher and exert the weight outwards, thus allowing the ceiling to be lighter. Rose windows could now be used, allowing gorgeous light to enter the church and give it a celestial feeling. The gargoyles were wisely used as drainpipes and at the same time to give it a mystical aspect. This architectural style was the complete opposite to the Romanesque style in Saint Germain des Prés. Walking inside Saint Germain des Prés gives you a gloomy and mysterious feeling. The Romanesque style seems so simple, there is not much decoration in its thick walls and round arches. In the three West portals of Notre Dame the life of the Virgin Mary, the Last Judgment and the life of St. Anne are sculpted. These magnificent detailed sculptures give the church a beautiful aspect. -------------------------------------------------------   Versailles: Royal Extravagance and Paranoia
Versailles is all about power and extravagance. We need not to enter the castle in order to feel the magnitude and power the King had at the time. I was totally amazed with the gardens and I hadn’t yet walked inside the castle. Long hallways and high gorgeous painted ceilings decorated the palace. With crowds of tourists everywhere it was difficult to stop and really appreciate every detail Versailles had. One of the rooms that caught my attention was the “Salon of Hercules” which was a waiting room for those wishing to see the King. “The Apotheosis of Hercules” is painted on the ceiling. With so much space and rooms, I believe it’s ironic that the King created another palace to escape from the formality of court life and his own obsessive creation. Even though the Grand Trianon was supposed to be something small, nothing could be simple in the eyes of Louis XIV; his “escape” had to embody the gilded cage. Another ironic thing about Versailles is Marie-Antoinette’s estate. It is said that Marie-Antoinette loved this place because she could get away from Versailles’ extravagance and enjoy the pleasures of simple and rural pursuits. This state, as well as the Gran Trianon, is a great contradictory to the way royalty behaved. Marie-Antoinette did not had any sympathy for peasants, her arrogant personality would discriminate anyone that didn’t belonged to her social status. The purpose of my visit to Versailles is to understand the way monarchy lived and why the French Revolution started. It is amazing how they had every luxury and comfort while there were thousands of people living in extreme poverty. Once I visited Versailles, I was able to understand much better the reasons of the French Revolution. People were chained to the monarchy and the monarchy could do whatever they pleased with them. Once the monarchy was decrown, people were free to express themselves and create a new nation. ---------------------------------------------------------------
  National Holiday & National Monuments, Icons of Contradiction The Arc of Triumph is an icon that commemorates France’s loses and gains. It is a representation of freedom, abolition of Monarchy and a symbol to honor the soldiers who lost their lives fighting for their country. I believe that people have forgotten what the real meaning of this icon is, as evidence there is the 14th of July parade. The parade shows off the country’s military power, belief that goes against the French Revolution. I think it is odd how French people would celebrate with weapons and military armor the fact that they lost many lives during the French Revolution. I believe this type of celebration is anachronistic. To my mind, the correct thing to do would be to honor with respect the people who helped form their country. Although Mexicans also have a military parade to celebrate
the Independence, it is not the same as the French. On September 15, the President of Mexico, as well as every city president, comes out of a balcony at a plaza waving the Mexican flag and say “Viva Mexico, Viva Hidalgo”. The president continues honoring the names of the people who helped gain our Independence, we the people repeat what the president says as a way to honor them. In my opinion, it is important to celebrate both the Earth and our country. Let us not forget that as inhabitants of the planet it is important to pay attribute to the Earth. By paying an attribute, I do not refer to the fact of creating some type of parade; we are able to honor our planet every day by taking care of it. It is essential that people are conscious that we are responsible for the damage we create. Celebrating our country is not something wrong; the mistake people make is to forget what we really should be honoring. -------------------------------------------------------   The Rodin Museum: Sculpture on the Move Auguste Rodin is without doubt the father of modern sculpture. Looking at his work is simply amazing! No one before him was able to create sculptures that could tell a story with just looking at them. It is incredible how Rodin’s sculptures are able to portray strong emotions and motion at the same time. This is exactly why Rodin’s work is modern. Sculptures before him had no emotion; it is difficult to understand what the artist is trying to communicate to us. It is impressive how when observing Rodin’s work, one is able to figure out what a piece of art is trying to convey. I believe that every piece of work in Rodin’s Museum uphold the ideals of a Romantic artist. The Romantic era focused on emotions, senses and individualism, which is exactly what Rodin sculpted in every piece. After seeing paintings at the Louvre, which the majority of them pertained to the classical period in which religion was the main theme, Rodin’s sculptures aroused my admiration; the
reason being that I had never seen before something so alive but at the same
time frozen in eternity. One of the most interesting pieces of art for me was the Burghers of Calais. Standing before this sculpture a sense of pity suddenly invaded my body; I couldn’t help but feel compassion for those men walking to their death. Their facial and corporal expressions allow you to understand and sympathize with their feelings. Another important sculpture to acknowledge is Rodin’s walking man. In my opinion, it is an absolute exquisite piece of art. It is impossible to compare Giacometti’s Walking Man with Rodin’s. Giacometti’s Walking Man gives me a sense of stiffness, as if the man is just standing in place. This sculpture is so simple, no muscles or sense of movement is sculpted. In contrast, one is able to see that Rodin’s Walking Man is on the move. It’s breathtaking how every detail is sculpted in the man’s body. The muscles in the legs and body posture are the ones that give us the impression that the man is walking. Rodin is definitely a genius in sculpture, I dare to say that no other artist has ever and will ever compare to him. ---------------------------------------------------------------   Museum of Modern Art: Modernism, Post-Modernism, & Post-Post-Modernism Art is fascinating; when I visited the Pompidou Center I was like a child with a new toy. I have to say that this was one of my favorite museums to visit. It was a total different experience to see modern art. I believe that modern art is truly radical. Things that you wouldn’t expect to be called art were there. It was amazing how some paintings had the power to make me feel different emotions. Some paintings seem so real, if you stared at them for a while it seemed like you had the person in the portrait in front of you. There were some paintings that just dragged me into them and made me feel part of them. I believe that at some point, every type of art is radical. For example, the Romantic Era was considered offensive because it broke away from its Classical roots. For me, all art is avant-garde. As time goes by, artists have become innovative with their work. They push boundaries even further with time. Being able to see the difference between Classical art and Modern art is shocking. I was able to see how far artists have gone and it makes me wonder how far they would get. Museum of French Cinema: The Marriage of Art and Technology Cinema is one of the greatest inventions in life; there is no doubt that it is an exquisite form of art. Technology and modern life has a lot to do with the invention of cinematography. If it wasn’t for the new technology emerging, cinema would have never been possible. Photography, another technology dependent art, had to exist in order to create movies. The first movies were a series of photographs that created movement. With this great invention, artists could now display different scenarios and not be limited to just one thing. In the movie “Modern Times”, the producers use technology such as cameras and microphones to defy technology in the movie which are the video cameras the boss used to communicate with the workers.    Giverny: Nature and Landscapes and the Future of the Humanities Humans have done so much damage to the world, that we are arriving at a point to where our mistakes are irreversible. If humans continue killing our planet, sooner or later there will be nothing else we could do to save it. It is ironic how we, being the only species able to save the world, are the ones who damage it. The problem with people is to think that nothing major happens if they decide to litter or pollute an area because they are the only ones doing it. The majority of the people in the world do not have a minimum idea of how much their actions affect our planet. It is necessary for them to become educated so they could be able to see the greater scheme in this problem. Most of the damage humans have done to the world is irreversible. By saying this, I don’t mean that any actions we do to try to amend for it will be in vain. On the contrary, people have to awaken and realize that we have no
time to waste. It is important for humans to know that we help the Earth be a better place with little actions, such as throwing the trash in its proper place or riding a bicycle. Since I became educated about this problem I have been trying my best to contribute to the solution. The way I help the world is by recycling everything I can. I wish people living in Matamoros and Brownsville were motivated to do this. I believe it is important to inculcate young children about recycling, that way when they grow up it will be something normal for them. I like to teach my 6 year old niece about this and try to keep her involved, so that in a near future she could teach someone else. The experience I've had in this study abroad program has helped me view the world in a different way, it expanded my horizons and opened my eyes to a new world. |
