Musée d'Orsay

I visited the Musée d'Orsay, the museum containing modern art. There were quite a few post modern paintings. I went for a beeline for the Van Gogh paintings.

I had watched a film about his life a few weeks earlier. His paintings are so amazing, but almost equally amazing is the way he battled against so many hardships to create them. Despite mental illness, isolation, criticism and discouragement, he stayed true to his vision and his commitment to his art. His brother Theo and his sister in law Joanna constantly encouraged him and supported him financially, despite not being particularly well off themselves.

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Noon - rest from work (after Millet).

Van Gogh - Self Portrait. 1889

The Church at Auvers. 1890.

There were many art works from the time of the mid 19th century to the early 20th century. It was a time of technological and social change and the paintings reflect this. The introduction of things like the steam train meant that French painters could more easily paint further afield, from the countryside or even in other countries. The invention of photography and film meant that painters didn't need to just paint realistically anymore, and so they now started to experiment with finding other ways to express themselves, using colours to express emotions rather than literally, distorting forms to express meaning and using symbolism.