Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Day 7 highlights: All about art

Self-admittedly, art has never been my forte. I was neither an artist nor an aficionado. I just don’t get it, really.

But more than anything else, Paris had proven to be a city of art. Every building reflected its rich history. Every street sculpture told a story. Every art piece in the Musée du Louvre gave an insight into the artist’s life, passions and state of mind.

Yes, not that I knew or appreciated any of that – Not until I saw a massive painting of the Wedding at Cana anyway. That was my turning point in the world of art and all things artistic. That was when the overused idiom about the picture and a thousand words could be grasped in its totality in me.

The first thing that caught my eye, naturally, was its sheer size (666cm x 990cm). It was quite literally a wallpaper. A painting by Paolo Veronese in 1563, the oil canvas till today, glowed in vibrancy – one that would put many of our digital cameras to shame.

For a brief moment, I was transported to that very wedding. I heard Jewish music blasting in my ears; hordes of people all around: dancing, chatting, and drinking. Then I saw Jesus, amidst all that drama, who performed the most underrated drama of the afternoon – turning water to wine.

You can probably understand why I’m an art convert after that.

Anyway, here are the day's photo highlights:

Eurostar bullet train direct from London