Ages & Architectural styles, a photo from Ile-de-France, North

Photographer's Note

One of the largest and most visited museums in the world, and possibly the most famous of them all, the Louvre is one of Paris's many must-visits.

Situated in the 1st arrondissement, in the heart of Paris, this palace is both from an architectural point of view as from an arts perspective one of the must see sights in Paris. It displays about 35,000 works of art, among them some world-famous like the Mona Lisa from Leonardo da Vinci, Venus de Milo and Winged Victory. The first time the immense collection was displayed was in 1789, during the revolution when the Revolutionary Committee decided to open the King's arts collection to the public.

The short history of the Museum

The library of Charles V - installed in one of the towers of the original fortress of Philippe August - was eventually dispersed. François I began a new collection of art with 12 paintings from Italy. These included works by Titian, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci, the most famous being the Joconde - or Mona Lisa. The royal collection grew and by the reign of Louis XIII, numbered roughly 200 pieces. Henri II, and Catherine de Médicis continued to enlarge the collection, as did others. When Louis XIV died in 1715, there were 2,500 pieces of art and objects.
Until the Revolution, this collection was strictly for the private pleasure of the Court. Finally, the idea of a museum (originating with Louis XVI) was realized on 10 August 1793, when the Musée de la République opened to the public.
Napoléon greatly increased the collections by exacting tribute from the countries he conquored, but most of these were returned in 1815 after his defeat at Waterloo. Under Louis XVIII the Venus de Milo was aquired (for 6000F) shortly after it was rediscovered on the Island of Melos in 1820.
In 1848 the museum became the property of the State. With an annual budget devoted to aquiring new art, the collections continued to grow. Private donations also augmented the Museum's holdings.
In 1947 the impressionist paintings were moved to the Jeu de Paume and l'Orangerie. (In 1986 these were transfered to the Musée d'Orsay.)
Today, the catalogue lists nearly 300,000 works, only a fraction of which are on display at any one time. Le Grand Louvre - begun in 1981 is transforming the museum once again enlarging it substantially. The Richelieu Wing - which had ``temporarily'' housed part of the Ministry of Finance since the 18th century - was opened in 1993.

The Glass Pyramid

The latest addition to the Louvre was the glass pyramid entrance, one of the finest examples of a combination of modern and historic architecture.
On request of the late French President Mitterrand, it was designed by the renowned American architect I.M. Pei. The glass pyramid allows the sunlight to come in on the underground floor. It has received mixed reviews, as it contrasts sharply with the design of the surrounding buildings.
(Source: Paris.org & Guidecities)

ls7902, ChrisJ, Tue, portmanndominic, snunney, izmirli, jlbrthnn, etlerl, bostankorkulugu, Photo65Net, patshoo, paura, danos, Wanda1, isabela_sor, jaywalker, chrkont, Yffic ha contrassegnato questa nota come utile

Critiques | Translate

Paolo (41258) 2008-09-05 1:33

Excellent picture George, with a double level with the Pei Pyramid on the foreground and the old Louvre on the back, both with excellent quality, exposure and amazing metallik reflections.
thansk, ciao

ls7902 (7380) 2008-09-05 1:43

Hello Gorge,
Beautiful night photography with good light from within the pyramid and spot light outside. Good clarity & sharpness. Great composition & POV. Regards. Latiff.

Gustaw (21670) 2008-09-05 2:01

Hi, my friend!
It is very famous place. I like your night photo. Good and oryginal composition. Well done.
Marek

ChrisJ (159954) 2008-09-05 2:01

Hi George

A good juxtapositioning of the old & the new with some stark contrasts between the sleek lines of the pyramid & the ornate flourishes on the bg building. Tfs!

Tue (82164) 2008-09-05 2:53

Hi George,
A superb night photo of this famous place. You handled the lighting so well and I love the several contrasts in this photo, first of all the modern-old contrast between the two kinds of architecture and I like how this contrast is emphasised by another one, the cool silver light and colours of the pyramid and the golden tones of the facade. Nice reflection too in the glass. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Regards,
Lars

portmanndominic (2400) 2008-09-05 3:00

Hello Georges

I Live in Paris and I Like very much ours national museeum of the Louvres , you choose a splendid POV only a part of the Pyramid and I thinks i'st a good choice , good management of the lights useful note
TFS
Dominic

snunney (130967) 2008-09-05 4:00

Hello George,
A splendid night time composition with a great point of view. I love the contrast between these two very different styles of architecture both beautiful in their own right. Exposure is spot on and clarity perfect. A super piece of photography.

izmirli (3989) 2008-09-05 4:45

merhaba dear george
wonderful night picture and composition.wonderful interesting pyramid and lights.excellent contrast and colours.well done my friend.
best regards.
gürkan akçakır.

Greg1949 (9011) 2008-09-05 4:54

Great shot George, the lighting is magnificent and the composition is great, I especially like the dome in the bg that is barely lit. Whether the Parisians like the pyramid or not it is very interesting photographically because of how it bends and captures the light. Fine capture and presentation.

Greg

etlerl (603) 2008-09-05 5:17

Szia Gyuri!
Nagyon jól sikerült ez a képed (is). Kitűnően választottad meg a nézőpontot és jól eltaláltad a fényerőt is. A Louvre érdekesen egyesíti a modern és a klasszikus építészeti stílusokat. Bár a képen első ránézésre élesen elhatárolódik a kettő, itt nagyon ügyesen hoztad össze őket: az üvegpiramison tükröződik a régi homlokzat.
Üdvözlet,
etlerl

yaya13baut (3344) 2008-09-05 9:18

Hi George,
this pyramid is a perpetual source of inspiration.
I like your night shot of this place, you got great colors and it's well composed.
I've submited one photo with a reflection on the pyramid a few days ago, you can see it.

bostankorkulugu (42832) 2008-09-05 9:22

one of the best shots of this pyramid i ve ever seen george... well composed and presented... perfect light management also, congrats my friend...

bon WE

korkut

Photo65Net (43144) 2008-09-05 10:13

Salut George,
Superb night capture !
Sharpness and colors are perfect.
Very good post,
Have a nice week-end,
JB.

patshoo (952) 2008-09-05 11:34

Superb POV and outstanding of light control,Contrast of texture and form that captured made a highly attractive,very well sharpness and good clarity of color too.Outstanding work,TFS.

paura (25802) 2008-09-05 15:08

George,
Very beautiful contrast on the well composed photo. The old and the new may be also a nice name here. Well done, friend!

Abraço

Paulo

francio64 (39888) 2008-09-05 15:46

Ciao George,
eccellente contrasto tra la piramide e la facciata del museo del Louvre!

Ottima resa e gestione delle luci.
Francesco

leo61 (0) 2008-09-05 22:38

Hi George!
classic but very nice.
Good composition with the half pyramid and the old architecture.
Great sharpness overall and excellent lightmanagement.
Regards,leo

Graal (103040) 2008-09-05 23:53

Jó napot George,
unusual modern architecture, fine presentation by night, well quality. Good note also. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

talatbay (2428) 2008-09-06 2:41

Hi George,
very good POV, so your composition...
TFS.

danos (110407) 2008-09-06 3:27

Hello George,
a very nice nocturne shot of the facade of this part of the Louvre's Museum.Excelelnt the management of the artificial lights as the sharpness and the clarity of the scene.The Pyramid complete the beautiful frame.Well done.

Have a nice weekend,Danos

jlbrthnn (76041) 2008-09-06 3:52

Hello George,
Your image is remarkable. The contrast of old and modern, the contrast of the colors of light, the contrast of the pure and simple geometrical forms with the refined and elegant sculptures, all to make a beautiful image. Congratulations.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

npecanhuk (79329) 2008-09-06 4:18

Hello George!
Excellent nightshot: great composition, sharpness and light management!
It's different and it's unique!
Two words: SUPERB IMAGE!
TFS - Congratulations!
Greetings from Brazil,
Neyvan Peçanhuk

jjcordier (79299) 2008-09-06 4:54

George
Une composition peut-être classique mais parfaitement réalisée mais j'apprécie surtout les tons originaux de l'image et les reflets sur la pyramide.
Amicalement
JJ

PixelTerror (0) 2008-09-06 6:28

Bonjour George
so you've been to paris... a classical image associating old and new, it shines so much that it looks straight out of a jewellry shop from nearby Place Vendome...
Have a nice day JY

clnaef (6289) 2008-09-06 8:25

Bonjour,
Un joli contraste et belle maîtrise des lumières.
Bonne journée.
clnaef

jurek1951 (42198) 2008-09-06 8:56

Hi George,
Nice composition and perfect presantation.Beautiful night shot...
Nice colors and lights,
Georg

Wanda1 (15142) 2008-09-06 23:52

Hi George,
The contrast between the modern and the old is very striking especially all lit up against such a dark background, it almost looks like something from a movie set. Very nice and sharp showing the details on both structures so clearly. Great!
Regards
Wanda

isabela_sor (47748) 2008-09-07 5:45 [Comment]

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danyy (0) 2008-09-07 23:43

Bonjour George,
le composition 'classique', moderne versus antique.
Belles lumières nocturnes, prise précise et bien exposée.
Cadarge parfait.
Amicalement.
Daniel.

TGULUMSER (13252) 2008-09-08 14:38

Hello George,
Very interesting night photo of this beautiful architecture. Your POV and light management are excellent,
Best regards,
Tulay

Angshu (56760) 2008-09-11 21:02

Dear George
A beauty! I had taken a similar shot, but in day time. This night shot is excellent. Classic view but excellent in execution. Like the reflections on the glass of the pyramid. Excellent!
With Regards
Angshu

jaywalker (16105) 2008-09-13 14:24

Hi George, I have just been to France & took a trip to the Louvre, I photographed the pyramid from many different angles to get a shot that would look good on TE, however I never took one at night & looking at the wonderful result of this well composed shot, I wish I had, TFS this great picture, kind regards Wilson.

chrkont (4005) 2008-09-13 14:31

Hi George
Very inspired composition. I like the reflection of the old building on the glasses of the modern one.
Very good light handle and color despite the cold color lights.
Nice job.
Regards
Christos

Yffic (6106) 2008-09-15 5:42

Hi George.

A quite classical shot with a frequently seen POV.. but your results is better than most of the pictures of this place: because of the real good sharpness, because of the nice exposition.

Regards.

Yves

kiasari (62) 2010-12-23 15:45

Hello György,

You chose a good POV to take this shot. A nice photo with a well managed framing and superb colors. Well done!

I wish you a Merry Christmas,
Abbas