The Little Dancer of Fourteen Years is the only sculptural work of Edgar Degas with which he attempted to draw attention to the plight of working-class people in the nineteenth century. Following his death, his wax statue of Marie Van Goethem, a little girl studying ballet at the Paris Opera Ballet dance school, was reproduced in bronze. Although the sculpture was not well accepted by critics at the time, it is now considered one of the most famous pieces of bronze art.
It is among the most famous artworks of Renoir, widely recognized as an early impressionist masterpiece. The Moulin de la Galette was a windmill perched atop Butte de Montmartre. On Sundays, people gathered to dance and eat cakes. Captivated by this lively weekly occurrence, Renoir immortalized it on canvas in hazy brush strokes. Surprisingly, Renoir painted this for another artist, Gustave Caillebotte. Following his death, the artwork was handed to the French government to settle his debts.
The classic Olympia artwork by Édouard Manet is on exhibit in the Musee d'Orsay museum. Through Olympia, the French artist redefined the conventional theme of female nudity. This painting depicts a beautiful woman reclining naked on a bed with a black cat at her feet and a calculated expression on her face while a maid brings her flowers. The subject matter and portrayal of the artwork surprised onlookers and generated a sensation in the art world when it was initially displayed in 1865 at the Salon de Paris.
The famous Dutch painter Vincent Van Gogh painted over 35 self-portraits during his lifetime when he was short of money to hire professional models. One of them, from 1889, is on display at the Orsay Museum in Paris, where Van Gogh's red hair and beard contrast brilliantly with the light blue tones of the background and the color of his suit. He carries a glum expression on his face, and his green eyes pierce through the artwork with melancholy.
Vincent Van Gogh created two paintings titled Starry Night. While the more famous Starry Night painting with a more violent composition is on show in New York, an earlier version having a calmer tone is displayed at the Orsay Museum. Vincent Van Gogh painted the first Starry Night in 1888 after moving to Southern France. It depicts a tranquil twilight scene over the Rhône River with the stars glowing brightly and lighting up the sky.
When you come across this Claude Monet artwork, you will instantly feel calmer and at peace. This lovely painting represents a peaceful view from Argenteuil, where Monet lived for many years after leaving England. A mother and child may be seen in the foreground, strolling down a hill with red poppy flowers to their left. Monet channeled the essence of a beautiful sunny day using vibrant colors. This painting was initially shown in 1874 and attempted to emphasize its instant effect on the minds of the viewers rather than digging for a deeper meaning.
French artist Edgar Degas was a classical painter who excelled in portraits of ballet dancers and working ladies. While he rejected the fundamentals of Impressionism, he is considered an impressionist due to his appreciation of contemporary topics, free brushwork, and desire to portray the transitory moment. In the painting Women Ironing, Degas depicts two ladies in a working-class setting where one is yawning and the other ironing. The image shows a highly unflattering view of the lives of these working-class ladies of the 19th century.
Claude Monet is often regarded as the greatest famous Impressionist painter of all time. This picture depicts Monet's wife, Camille, taking her last breath. In this artwork, Monet captured the emotional moment beautifully. He painted her face shrouded in a veil, with eyes closed and lips slightly parted. Besides this, Camille has also appeared in several other works of Monet and those of his contemporaries like Renoir and Manet. This artwork was never shown at an exhibition, and Monet never even signed it.
This is one of the most well-known realism works by French artist Gustave Caillebotte. Caillebotte's artwork displays three workmen scraping the wooden floor of an apartment while sunshine pours in through a wide window at the back. This picture is notable not only for its realistic qualities and effective use of perspective but also for being one of the first representations of the working class in Paris. Before the exhibition of Gustave Caillebotte's art, the Parisian working class was typically depicted as peasants working in a field.
Paul Gauguin, now regarded as one of the most famous French artists, was unrecognized throughout his lifetime. His vibrant painting Arearea, which is currently on display at the Orsay Museum, was one of several pieces he presented in Paris after returning from Polynesia in 1893. Unfortunately, the entire exhibition was declared a flop, leading Gauguin to leave Paris and settle in Polynesia. In Arearea, Gauguin depicted a primitive Polynesia with two women seated in the foreground with a red dog and a Maori statue in the background.
Luncheon Grass by Édouard Manet is an unusual painting that typically elicits mixed reactions from spectators. While some people are outraged by the image of a naked woman sitting with two fully dressed males enjoying a picnic in the woods, others can't stop admiring it. Édouard Manet, like several of his paintings, defied the traditional art standards of the Academy and Paris Salons with this artwork. This massive painting was shunned as soon as it was introduced, but it did help in evolving Modern French Art and is currently on display at the Orsay Museum.
Card Players by Paul Cezanne is by far the most famous painting curated at the Musée d’Orsay. The composition of the artwork is fairly simple, depicting two guys playing cards on a bare table at a local tavern. The painting's simplicity is what makes it so popular with the general audience. The Card Players is one of five paintings created by Paul Cezanne as part of a series. The one on display at the Orsay Museum is the most popular of the entire series.
On your visit to the art museum, make sure to stop by the Orsay museum clock on the top floor after viewing the outstanding collection of French artworks. The clock is an important symbol of not just the building’s history but Parisian history in general and is among the many reasons why tourists flock to the D’Orsay museum. Before the Orsay Museum was built, the building served as a railway station. One of the remnants of the old train station is a stunning giant clock that remains at the museum and is still in working order. The large clock is intricately designed in 19th-century style and is no less than the artworks housed in the museum. Besides, the Orsay Museum Clock is an excellent location for capturing panoramic views of the Seine River, Sacre Coeur, Tuileries Garden, the Louvre, and other well-known monuments.
1. Entrances: The Orsay Museum Paris has four entrances located close to each other.- Entrance A: If you have not purchased your museum tickets in advance or have a museum pass, use this entrance. - Entrance B: Adult groups who have purchased museum tickets in advance enter via this door.- Entrance C: This entrance is for AFMO members, visitors with museum tickets, visitors with special needs, disabled, or a pass holder. - Entrance D: Only school groups with a prior reservation can enter via this gate.
2. Traveler's Tips for Orsay MuseumIt is always recommended that you purchase your ticket online to skip the long queues and save time. It is always recommended to hire a tour guide who will take you through all of the key areas of the museum. A guided tour will allow you to learn more about the many paintings and artworks on show.To avoid standing in long lines, you can purchase a Paris Museum Pass that allows you free entry to most of the famous museums and sites in and around Paris, including the Musée d'Orsay museum.