day 2 –
continued

l’Orangerie

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The French for waterlilies is nénuphars; sorry, English has the better word.

The Italian for sunflower is girasole – turns to the sun; girasole has motion, sunflower is static.

The French for Queen-Anne’s-lace is carotte sauvage; the English is elegant, the French pedestrian.

The Musée de l’Orangerie is church – you walk in and you’re transfixed, made holy. Monet’s waterlilies have replaced the statues, the crucifixes, the stained glass, the incense, the candles. The rectangular nave gives way to infinity space. We’re not looking for salvation; we are the children of François Rabelais; we are the children of The Revolution.

So we pray to blue, to yellow, to green. We pray in silence and we pray alone.

…

∞

The above image shows the infinity design of the two galleries that showcase Monet’s amazing paintings.
Also, the featured image for this post is from the Louvre courtyard. Many of the statues decorating the parapet that runs outside the second floor have been restored. The featured image is of the statue of François Rabelais.