Michelangelo and Rodin were both sculptors who pushed the boundaries of their art, although four centuries separated them. The exhibition at the Louvre brings them together in a powerful dialogue. Both wanted to represent the truth of life and emotion even if it meant distorting their figures: Rodin's figure of Adam, in bronze, and Michelangelo's Rebel Slave, marble Michelangelo's expressive style was later called 'Mannerist', or 'la bella maniera' as it was called at the Renaissance and much imitated. His contorted, straining figure of the Rebel Slave is a permanent fixture in the Louvre, since 1794: Michelangelo: The Rebel Slave 1513-15 marble Louvre Its companion piece in the Louvre is the Dying or Sleeping slave, once destined for the tomb of pope Julius II: Michelangelo: The Sleeping, or Dying slave, 1513-5 The statues are now back in place in the Denon wing of the Louvre. Both Degas and Cezanne sketched the slaves of Michelangelo in the Louvre. Here...
Paris in the 18th century was the capital of luxury. Voltaire defined it as "the superfluous- a very necessary thing". The majority of Parisians did not live in the lap of luxury, but it is amusing to dream that one was an aristocrat at the time with a mansion and servants, fifteen preferably. The exhibition at the Decorative Arts Museum allows the visitor to do that. A specific room for dining was created mid 18th century: We imagine that we are in the 1780s, just before the Revolution ended it all. As Talleyrand said: "Who hasn't lived in the years around 1789 doesn't know what the pleasure of life is." In the first room the sounds of horses and carriage accompany illustrations of transport at the time. Ladies, and men, would often be carried around by two servants in a sedan chair: There are also shoes raised-up on metal platforms to avoid the legendary Paris mud! It is rare to have olfactory aids, but this exhibition has pleasant aromas of jasmine, for...