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A plug for Gustave Moreau

March 13th, 2009 · 1 Comment · Art, France, Photos

I’ve been pretty busy running around Paris, so I haven’t been writing as much as maybe I should. Tomorrow I’m flying to Madrid, so I can probably write some on the plane, but I would like throw in a quick plug here for the Musée National Gustave-Moreau. A friend suggested I check this out. It’s a little museum in a relatively hard-to access (it took me like 3 metro transfers) part of town that frequently gets overlooked in favor of the enormous Louvre and Musée de l’Orsay.

Jupiter and Semele by Gustave Moreau

Jupiter and Semele by Gustave Moreau


The whole museum is devoted to one artist, Gustave Moreau, who I’d never even heard of before. It’s too bad he’s so un-famous, because his work is really quite spectacular. Most of it is executed on a very large scale, with deep, rich colors and an intricate attention to detail. I also found him fascinating for the way he mixes imagery from different traditions. The painting above features the story of Jupiter and Semele, from classical mythology, but quite clearly draws on Hindu and Buddhist iconography. In another of his works (which I’ll try to find an image for later), he mashes together the story of Prometheus with the Christ narrative, representing Prometheus with a crown of thorns, as a sacrificial martyr for humanity.

The museum itself is really cool, too. It’s located in Moreau’s former workshop, and the lower floor preserves the apartment where he lived.

Moreau's Apartment

Moreau’s Apartment

I want a staircase this cool in my house.

I want a staircase this cool in my house.

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One Comment so far ↓

  • Susan

    This art is on the cover of 2666 by Roberto Bolano, winner of the National Book Critics Award for 2008.

    I was searching for a mention of where it was located when I found your post. I’ll be in Paris in December but I don’t know if I am up to 3 metro transfers.

    Thanks.

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