Painting in Paris 1998 part 2

 

From Le Louvre you can see down the Champs-Élysées, there is a mini version of Arc de Triumph called Arc de Triumph du Carrousel. Looking though you see the Egyptian Obelisk, and in the very distance the Arc de Triumph. Every tourist in Paris walks this area and takes a lot of photos, with the exception of a few painters. The amount of detail in these paintings was remarkable, I was very ambitious and inspired to capture the scenes. The gold touches on the top are neat.     

Arc de Triumph du Carrousel, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 1998 (No. 0839)

  

Here is a small segment of the famous museum Le Louvre, I was sitting in an interior square that was all like you see in the painting. It was an overwhelming location but I did my best. The opening under the arched dome is neat, you can see the sky and tree in the distance. A gypsy danced in the courtyard as I painted, a pity I could not include that in the painting.

Le Louvre, watercolour 5 x 7" hot press, 1998 (No. 0838)

 

You may recognize this, it is the leaning tower of Triumph, actually the Arc de Triumph. While the draftsmanship may have been atilt, there is plenty of energy and some key details here like the scraggly tree, classic lamp post, and colourful little tourists.

Arc de Triumph, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 1998 (No. 0841)

 

The most famous of all bridges, and the gaudiest, has to be Pont Alexandre III. It has several massive stone towers topped with golden statues, and elaborate sculptures throughout. In the background is the Grand Palais where they do shows including art shows. I may have bit off more than I could chew for a small painting here, but I knew the only way to get better was to keep trying.
 

Pont Alexandre III, watercolour 5 x 7" hot press, 1998 (No. 0836)

 And here is a close up of the grand entrance to the Grand Palais. They were advertising some kind of show judging by the enormous white banners. To think, the likes of Monet and Cezanne and others had their paintings shown here once. Like literally once, the impressionist painters were not so popular with the main stream academy painters back in the 19^th century.

Grand Palais, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 1998 (No. 0837)

 

I sort of remember this day, it was late and I was tired, but decided to make one more painting. The Seine river unfortunately is not in the view, but it is just over the embankment wall. This location is famous for the book sellers that set up their mini shops along the Seine. In the background are some of the typical 5 story condos build in the classic Parisian style. As I reminisce about my trip to Paris, maybe it would be neat to go back some time. 

Along Seine near Eiffel Tower, watercolour 5 x 7" cold press, 1998 (No. 0832)