The Louvre - Wednesday Night

Tonight, we had a late entry into the Louvre, and it was open until 9:30pm. A person could actually spend weeks in the Louvre (it is the entire, U-shaped building behind me) and still not get to see everything, so our class just stayed in one area: Antiquities (Middle East, Egypt, Greek, Etruscan and Roman).

Cindy and I -- before going in, but after a much-needed iced coffee!

Mighty Aphrodite. Necia Gelker, a COC Art Prof with our group, explained that there is documented proof that men actually stayed with this statue rather than eat, and DIED because they loved the statue so much. It was the suggestion of her clothes falling-off that pushed them over the edge. 

The Code of Hammurabi is written on this column: dating around 1772 B.C. from Mesopotamia, it is one of the earliest deciphered writings in the world of this length. It is a series of laws given to King Hammurabi by a god, and it has some of the same (common-sense) laws that would later be recorded in the Ten Commandments (don't kill,, don't steal, etc.).

Isn't this horse both regal and approachable at the same time? I'd like to smooch his nose, it looks that soft.

A seated statue of Gudea, a king who devoted himself to rebuilding temples. Southern Mesopotamia, around 2100 B.C.

When our class was over, the museum would still be open for another hour, so three of us decided to stay and explore another wing. The way the Louvre is designed, in order to see another wing, you must first leave the previous wing and then show your ticket to enter another wing. No problem -- unless you got in with a European Student card (discounted, in fact, free admission with this card, which has one's name and photo ID) AND  you are over 25. On initial entry, there was no issue. Probably because I was with a large group of students and they pretty-much waved us all through. I have the card legitimately, I am a student, but I am clearly not under 25. When the three of us tried to enter the Italian paintings wing, I was stopped and told that my card was not good, because of my age. I sweetly insisted that I am, indeed, a student and she let me pass, begrudgingly. Hopefully, this won't be a problem elsewhere!!

We came across an artist who was faithfully copying this work in charcoal. He was crouching on the floor, moving only his hands. When I asked him how long he had been working on this painting, he told me that it was 30 hours so far.