After entering the museum's main courtyard, turn left and walk straight ahead to the famous bronze statue of "The Gates of Hell". ←Vertex Novel, as mentioned earlier, Rodin never completed this work until his death. It was cast after his death at the expense of the Paris City Government.
This "Gate of Hell" is the seedbed for Rodin's series of "Divine Comedy" works. Those who have more time can study here bit by bit which individual works come from which position on this door.
For example, at the top are "three shadows", below it is "the thinker", and at the upper right corner of the door frame is "a kiss"; up to this level, one is still reflecting on life, and the more one goes down, the more sinful it becomes, and all it depicts are human sins.
Along the garden, there are famous statues of Balzac, the Six Pilgrims of Calais, Eve on the Rocks, etc. These are famous statues that have been repeatedly reproduced by countless art institutions and areas with a bit of artistic atmosphere.
You can see the real faces here. What impressed An Chuyu the most was the "Six Men of Calais" (also known as the "Burghers of Calais"), because this statue appeared in the movie "The Monuments Men" mentioned in the previous travel notes. The Allied troops saw them quietly in the bushes and thought they were real people.
A quick search on Baidu will reveal that the Six Men of Calais was created by Rodin for the Calais authorities. During the Hundred Years' War, the British army captured the French city of Calais, which was besieged by the British army for two years and was in imminent danger. After negotiations, King Edward III of England put forward harsh conditions.
The city of Calais had to select six noble citizens to be executed, and it was stipulated that these six people had to be shaved, barefoot, locked at the neck, and hold the key to the city gate in their hands when leaving the city, in order to save the city. This is a historical tragedy that the French people will never forget.
The famous "Thinker" is located in the center of the museum's garden, and many people are watching. This is the original first cast statue, and was originally placed outside the Pantheon according to Rodin's wishes. Later, when the Rodin Museum was built, the bronze statue was placed here.
He was originally sitting on top of the "Gate of Hell". Later, it was separated and enlarged three times to its current appearance. There were too many people, so An Chuyu did not approach; but he had touched the replica of the bronze statue countless times and knew the tight tension of the muscle lines on this statue.
The giant is bent over, kneeling, with his right hand supporting his chin, silently watching the tragedy happening below (actually the sins of the people in the gate of hell). His deep eyes and the gesture of biting his lips with a fist show an extremely painful mood.
His muscles were very tense, not only thinking intently, but also immersed in distress; the tightly contracted calf tendons and cramped toes conveyed this painful emotion. If you only look at him with your eyes, you might think he is very calm, but you can feel it by touching him. This calm surface and hidden power inside are even more thought-provoking.
Although most of Rodin's famous sculptures are displayed in the garden, there are still many famous works indoors. However, it is free today. So there are too many people who want to visit the interior for free. An Chuyu and An Qingju finally couldn't resist the sleepiness and fled back to the apartment to sleep in the afternoon.
Finally, I wrote about the Louvre. An Chuyu I wonder if I can use one article in a travel journal to describe the journey and feelings of An Chuyu and An Qingju.
But An Chuyu can only give it such a long space, because An Chuyu is not qualified to write more. Too many professional monographs and even travel books only write about this museum. If you want to know how to visit and how to study, you don’t need to read this travel note. Here I only record some purely personal feelings.
Tips: The Louvre's official website has a Chinese page. You can download the PDF map directly from the official website to get a guide in advance.
1. Eating and drinking in the Louvre The Louvre is too huge. People who have been there probably have experienced this. If you don’t solve the three urgent needs mentioned above, all that will be left are painful memories.
Let's talk about buying tickets. You can buy tickets for the Louvre at the Louvre. You can also buy them one day in advance and come back the next day. You can also buy a museum pass (2 days, 4 days, 6 days). A ticket is also called a one-day ticket, which means it is valid for the whole day. You can go out for a bite to eat and then show your ticket to come in.
Second, how to enter the museum. There are three steps to enter the museum. First, go through security, then buy a ticket, and then enter the museum; if you have a museum pass, you can skip the second step. The main entrance of the Louvre Square is the pyramid in the middle.
The first step is to go to the security checkpoint at the entrance of the pyramid; the second step is to go down the spiral staircase to buy tickets underground. There are ticket counters in four directions. There are also self-service ticket machines; the third step is to enter the museum. There are three entrances, leading to the Richelieu Wing (North), the Sully Wing (East), and the Denon Wing (South).
At the main entrance, the longest queue is actually on the ground waiting for security check. This is not the time when the most people line up as shown in the photo, because it is only after 8 o'clock in the morning, or it is raining like on the right. On sunny days during the peak tourist season, the queue can circle around the Louvre's glass pyramid like a mosquito coil. The scene can only be described as terrifying.
If you have a pass, you can go in quickly through a special channel and enter the museum directly without buying a ticket. More than 90% of tourists will circle around the pyramid and enter the Louvre from the main entrance. In fact, the Louvre has three other entrances.
The purple circle entrance is on the ground, and the red circle entrance is underground, but both entrances will eventually lead to the underground pyramid hall, and then enter from the museum entrance in the pyramid hall. Going through these two entrances will save a lot of time queuing for security checks.
Only the entrance with a blue circle, the "Lion Entrance", is different. This entrance is on the ground level, and you can go through security check and enter the museum gate at this entrance. There is no fast track for the "Museum Pass" at this entrance, but very few people know about this entrance, and even when it is very crowded, few people enter from here.
It is understandable that An Chuyu and An Qingju were confused when they first entered the Louvre. But when they came out of the Louvre, they carefully walked around the museum to confirm that the above information was correct. Later, An Chuyu and An Qingju went through the Lion Entrance or other entrances.
Third, let’s talk about eating. Eating is not allowed inside the Louvre, and theoretically, you can’t bring water. If you bring a lot of food for the picnic, it’s best to store your bag at the entrance.
If you don't bring any food, you can go to the Louvre with light luggage. The problem of eating is also easy to solve. The atrium under the pyramid leads to the underground shopping area, where there are many restaurants, including many fast food restaurants. Eating is very convenient and not expensive.
As long as you have a ticket for the day, you can go back to the Louvre to continue your visit after you have eaten. Don't bring food or visit on an empty stomach!
Fourth, let's talk about going to the toilet. Actually, there are many toilets in the Louvre. There are toilets on every floor and every corner. They are free and very clean. However, 80% of tourists gather in the Denon Wing on the south side to see the "three treasures" of the Louvre (Mona Lisa, the statue of Venus, and the bow of the Winged Victory of Samothrace). The toilets nearby are also crowded, and there are usually long queues.
If you are here by yourself, just be patient and go to the Sully or Richelieu wing, then you can go to the bathroom anytime. Fifth, let me talk about taking pictures. In one sentence, you can take pictures in the Louvre, as long as you don't use the flash.
Sixth, let me talk about the tour guide. If you are traveling with a group, you don’t have to worry about this. If you are traveling independently, option 1 is to bring a map of the Louvre; option 2 is to buy a detailed manual at the Louvre bookstore; option 3 is to rent an audio guide. But there is no Chinese version.
Option 4 is to hire a tour guide from the Louvre. This requires advance reservation. I don't know if there are Chinese tour guides. It is estimated that the price is not cheap. An Chuyu and An Qingju took options 1 and 2.
2. Tour of the Louvre
There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!
After eating and settling down, they enjoyed the art. During the days of visiting the Louvre, An Chuyu and An Qingju loved discussing the exhibits inside, and they especially liked discussing the topic of "how to visit the Louvre better".
So, An Chuyu doesn’t want to write here what exhibits An Chuyu saw. I just want to share with you all who want to visit the Louvre. Jiang Xun said in the book “Jiang Xun’s Louvre”: “Many people who go to the Louvre feel that they cannot miss any of the works.
In fact, there are as many as 400,000 pieces in the collection. It is difficult for a person to appreciate them all in his lifetime. Therefore, when you enter the Louvre, no matter how long you stay, one day, two days, a week or a month, you should roughly plan the key points you want to see, but you must not feel like you have seen everything. There is no point in "seeing everything".
What is more important is to make a good plan and determine which part you are most interested in; or choose a few masterpieces that you cannot miss, and when you see one and feel it, tell yourself that it is worth it. "
Indeed. As long as you plan properly - and you still have to plan, you will gain something no matter how long you visit the Louvre. Based on his own experience, An Chuyu divides the Louvre tour into: 2-hour version; half-day version; one-day version; three-day version; n-day version. 2-hour-half-day version.
Here, An Chuyu assumes that your two-hour tour is not the two-hour tour with a group - in that case, you just need to follow and don't get lost. An Chuyu assumes that you are in Paris on a business trip and can only arrange to stay in the Louvre for about two hours. You don't need to do too much homework, just have a map.
With only 2 hours to visit, An Chuyu's suggestions are as follows: 1. Be sure to check out the other entrances mentioned in An Chuyu's previous travel notes to save yourself time queuing. It is not recommended to enter from the Lion Entrance, as you will get lost.
2. Don't miss the three treasures of the Louvre. Mona Lisa's smile, the Venus de Milo, and the Winged Victory of Samothrace. Don't worry, the museum is very considerate, they are all very close, just go through the entrance of the Denon Wing and go straight up to the first floor (which the French call randfloor).
The Venus de Milo is located in Room 16, a corner on the first floor; if you go up the stairs of the Denon Wing, you can look up directly at the Winged Victory of Samothrace from the front; then go to the second floor (which is the first floor of France), and you can see the Mona Lisa in Room 7, which is always the most crowded place.
3. After seeing these three treasures, you have been to the Louvre. Then it is best to calm down and turn around to look at the huge "Wedding at Cana" (Veronese painting) opposite the Mona Lisa. (To be continued...)