REGENTS IN EUROPE 2017 LOUVRE (Hours: 9am 6pm/9:45pm (Friday)) 1. TSWBAT see and analyze some of the greatest romantic paintings in history. 2. TSWBAT compare the Louvre with the British Museum and National Gallery. 3. TSWBAT describe some great sculptures and contrast the styles with each other (Venus D Milo & Winged Victory for example; Michelangelo and Canova). 4. TSWBAT develop their understanding of beauty and worldview. 1. Make sure students have a photo ID of themselves to verify they are under 18. Chaperones (and students over 18) will use the Paris Museum Pass. 2. The Louvre is huge. HUGE! And contains practically every painting known to man (just kidding -- slightly). You need to know going in that the Louvre is like a combination of the British Museum (with all the historical artifacts collected by the empire from around the world) as well as the National Gallery (with the massive collection of paintings ranging from the Middle Ages up through the romantics). 3. When you go to the Louvre, unless the weather is really bad, approach it from the Tuileries Gardens (there s even a metro stop here). This will let you approach it as it was meant to be seen as a big enveloping horseshoe. Beware of pickpockets once you reach the arch. 4. When you enter the Louvre, you ll go in through the Glass Pyramid. Spend a little time outside the Louvre in the horseshoe looking at it and the Glass Pyramid. It was very controversial when it was constructed 20 or so years ago. Ask your students if they can figure out why? What do they think of it? 5. The main things to focus on in the Louvre include their Greek and Roman sculptures (Venus de Milo & Winged Victory of Samothrace being the greatest), their Renaissance sculptures (Michelangelo s Dying Slave, Psyche Revived by Cupid s Kiss) and their collection of 19 th century French paintings (Raft of the Medusa, Napoleon s Coronation, Liberty Leading the People, and a whole host of others by the likes of David & Ingres). Be sure to get a map, in English. 6. Once inside you ll have three options as there are three wings to the museum: Denon, Sully, and Richelieu. Head to the Denon Wing. After going up the escalator and through the ticket checkers, take a right when you get the chance. Follow this down to the end where they have some great Renaissance sculptures including some Michelangelos (Slaves taken from the never finished Tomb of Pope Julius II poor Michelangelo died thinking himself a failure because he
never finished this, which was to be his masterpiece. Julius II is also the guy who commissioned the Sistine Chapel, but we ll have more on him later) as well as Canova s incredibly light and lifelike Cupid and Psyche. From there, go straight back how you came in but past it and you ll eventually come to the Venus d Milo, one of the greatest examples of classical Greek sculpture (ask the students if they can identify why it s classical: the blank expression, the perfect form, the hair would be the main ones as well as the controposto stance). 7. After the Venus, return back towards where you went in, but go up the large staircase at the top of which you ll see the Winged Victory of Samothrace. This incredible statue depicts the goddess Nike (victory in Greek) descending to land on the prow of a ship following the Greek victory at the Battle of Salamis (ask them if they remember this battle from 9 th grade it was when the Greeks defeated the Persian navy off the coast of Athens in 480 BC ending the last Persian invasion of Greece & starting the Golden Age of Greece (which would produce works like the Venus d Milo)). Have the students walk all the way around it, so they can get a good feel for the beauty of the piece. This is a Hellenistic Greek statue, and we can tell that from the sense of movement and the wet drapery look (again, ask them to compare this with the Venus). 8. From looking at the front of the statue, turn right where you ll see some up close examples of frescoes (this is good to stop at briefly, and then you can remind them of these when they are in the Sistine Chapel). See if they remember the fresco technique (it involved putting a thin layer of wet plaster on the wall, and then painting directly into that before it dried). 9. Follow the passage around to the right and go straight before taking the 2 nd right which will take you into the room with the Mona Lisa & the Wedding Feast at Cana by Veronese. Both are Renaissance masterpieces. Have them spend some time (2-5 minutes) just looking at the two of them then you can ask them about how they represent the Renaissance art and worldview. Go out one of the doors behind the Mona Lisa. 10. You ll find yourself in a very tall room with paintings on the ceilings. This room doesn t really matter, but the two that are on either side do. Head to the right where you ll see some Large-Format French paintings from the 19 th century. The era of the Romantics. Once you ve explored this room, cross back through that tall-ceilinged room into the other side and check it out. Between the two you ll see The Raft of the Medusa (hurry on this one, the paint is failing and so the whole thing will be black soon!), Liberty Leading the People (ask them about the events surrounding the 1830 Revolution and to think about the feminization/personification of Liberty and see if they can think of any other examples obviously the Statue of Liberty in NYC comes to mind), and The Coronation of Napoleon (there are two, almost identical paintings of this scene by the same painter. One is here, the other is at Versailles) among others. So these are generally romantic works, which means they are meant to create an emotion in the viewer. Ask them what emotion or idea the painting is trying to convey and especially see if they can connect the painting with the time period in history we studied (most of these are from the period we studied on either side of Christmas). 11. Keep going down the hall and take the stairs at the end down and then work your way back out to the middle entrance area. Head up the Richelieu wing and go to the 1 st floor (that s one floor above where you start here) and head to the Napoleon III wing.
12. On your way there, ask the students who Napoleon III was, why was he named that, when did he rule, how he s connected to the other Napoleon, how he came to power, etc. These apartments here are supposed to replicate the way they were left when Napoleon III abdicated his position in 1870 following the disastrous Battle of Sedan (this helped create the German Empire and made France and Germany mortal enemies, which explains a good bit of the first 50 years of 20 th century history). Have the students talk about the opulence of the rulers and what they think of it (too much, too little, etc.). 13. Work your way through the apartments then take the stairs back down to the ground level. Head towards the Mesopotamian section where they have the Code of Hammurabi. This is probably the oldest written law code in history. Have students compare it with the Rosetta Stone. Other good questions to ask would include, who was Hammurabi, roughly when did he live (c. 1900 BC), what society is he connected with (Babylon, but far older than the Babylon we see in the OT), and what might be the reasons for having a written law code. This would be a good place to think about the 5 Common Topics. 14. From here, head back towards the main entrance and you can leave (or explore more!). Plan on the Louvre taking you 1.5-2 hours.
REGENTS IN EUROPE 2017 MUSEE D ORSAY (Hours: 9:30am 6/9:45pm (Thursday)) 1. TSWBAT demonstrate a cursory knowledge of the development of Western Art from the Romantics until the mid-20 th century. 2. TSWBAT analyze 3 different paintings from three different eras, comparing and contrasting them as well as reflecting on the worldview being presented in each. 3. TSWBAT offer some explanation of beauty, why it is important for humanity, and how the nature of art is changing during this period from what they have seen previously. 1. After going in the entrance for those with the Paris Museum Pass & getting a map, head straight through the main doors and into the atrium overlooking the gallery. It is easy to see from here that this was originally a train station. The middle has sculptures of various quality, though there s some Rodin towards the back. The main attractions here are the Impressionists (very top on the left) and then the Art Noveau furniture (middle level on the left). For those interested in the development of art, starting with the impressionists and then working your way down will help with that. The most recent stuff is in the bottom right section (note here how some themes from Renaissance paintings are returning, but are approached very differently. Store some of these away (think birth of Venus) for when we get to Florence). 2. Plan on spending around 10 minutes in each section although the impressionist wing should probably take longer. 3. Questions to ask about specific pieces include the 5 common topics: Definition [name/groups] What is it? What groups is it part of? Circumstance [surroundings] Where is it? Where was it painted? When was it painted? What historical events may have been contemporary or relevant to it? Relationship [cause/effect] Who painted it & why (what was the purpose of painting it?)? What are its influences? What is influenced by it? What is the worldview represented by the painting? Comparison [same/different]
Is this similar to any other pieces of art we ve seen? How so? How is it different? How did the artist use light/line/positioning/topic to get his logos across? Authority [experts} What do others say about it? Is it influential? Why is it famous? 4. Be sure to spend some time discussing the idea of beauty being expressed (is it physical, spiritual, rooted in the personal or nature, etc). 5. If you have some artistically minded students, giving some time for them to sketch a painting or two would not be remiss. Plan on the Musee d Orsay taking you 1-1.5 hours.
REGENTS IN EUROPE 2017 NOTRE DAME (Hours: 8am 6:45pm) 1. TSWBAT identify at least three key features of Gothic architecture & briefly explain them. 2. TSWBAT explain how the church building itself helps teach the gospel (think stained glass, carvings, structure of church, etc) to people who are generally illiterate. 3. TSWBAT articulate the medieval understanding of beauty, truth and goodness as seen by this church. 4. TSWBAT discuss similarities and differences between Notre Dame and other Gothic churches they have seen (Westminster Abbey, Sainte-Chappelle, Canterbury Cathedral (if applicable), St. George s Chapel (at Windsor, if applicable)) as well as non-gothic churches (St. Paul s & Sacre Couer). 1. Spend a few minutes standing in front of the church and if you want, spend some time walking all the way around it (if the weather is nice this is a lovely stroll). Have the students think about the size of the church, and how amazing it is to have been built when they had none of the tools we would use today. Ask them what things stand out to them about the architecture of the place. Spend a couple of minutes looking at the carvings around the entrance door. What seems to be the point they are trying to get across? 2. Once inside, let your eyes adjust to the darkness. Why is it so dark? Where is the light coming from? What is the point of this? Where does it draw your eyes? 3. Walk to center of the church and look down towards the altar. Anything stand out? 4. Follow the crowd around the outside. Take a good look at the rose windows on the sides and the front when you get good views of them. As you get near the altar, pay attention to the wood carvings on the left. These are visual pictures of the life of Christ (remember, people in the middle ages could rarely read). See if the students can tell the gospel story from looking at the pictures (my personal favorite is the one of the last supper (see if you can see Judas sneaking away)). 5. What is with all the side chapels? What sorts of art & statues are represented there? Why are these important, especially in a church called notre dame (think the Barron excerpts)? 6. Walk leisurely and enjoy the beauty & the odd simplicity & artfulness that this represents.
Plan on Notre Dame taking you 1 hour. REGENTS IN EUROPE 2017 SACRE COUER (Hours: 6am 10:30pm) 1. TSWBAT see and describe some of the differences between Sacre Couer and the other churches they have seen (most notably the Gothic ones: Sainte-Chappelle, Notre Dame, Westminster Abbey; and the Baroque one (St. Paul s)). It was built between 1870 & 1914. 2. TSWBAT explain why the church was originally built, what Sacre Couer means, why it was placed on this hill, while appreciating the incredible views from its front. 1. Sacre Couer is not in the safest of areas (getting to it) and taking a taxi as a group might be a good idea, especially for the ladies. If you go there from the metro, be prepared to deal with pickpockets & junk sellers as well as a pretty steep climb, but the view is worth it. Climbing up there are two options: the direct stairs which branch out in front of you, or the more scenic grotto path which goes off on the far right (it s a little hidden and not obvious). 2. Once to the top, take a few minutes to catch your breath by gazing back at the Paris skyline. Unlike London, Paris has a very unique look (ask your student who wrote on Parisian architecture to give a little info) and allows the views from Sacre Couer to be very similar to what they would have been 100 years ago. 5 minutes. 3. As you turn and face the church, have them note any differences & similarities with other churches they ve been to. Then go in the entrance door. Once inside, have the students explore on their own with a meet up point in 20-30 minutes (or however reasonable time y all decide). Encourage them to spend a little bit of time just sitting in the pews, looking at the dome painting, and taking in the full ambiance. 4. As you leave, if the weather is nice, head around the side to the right (the left if you re looking at the front of the church) into the Montmartre square area. On nice days there will be artists out doing paintings, etc and there are some nice restaurants nearby as well. Engaging with the students, help them elaborate on the 5 common topics as applied to this church, asking similar to questions to what ya ll went over at St. Paul s, Westminster Abbey, Notre Dame & Sainte-Chappelle (as applicable) so they can really see the similarities and differences. Plan on Sacre Couer taking you ½-1 hour.
REGENTS IN EUROPE 2017 SAINTE-CHAPPELLE (Hours: 9:30am 6pm) 1. TSWBAT see & appreciate the beauty & glory of medieval stained glass in all its glory. The dark ages indeed! Along with the cathedrals themselves, it is in the stained glass that we see the true artistic genius of medieval art (Renaissance art focused on painting & sculpture). 2. TSWBAT read the Bible through the stained glass, since even though this was originally a royal chapel, most who worshipped inside were not able to read, so the Bible had to made tangible in other ways. 3. TSWBAT explain why Sainte-Chappelle was built, who built it, and what relics it was supposed to house & what this reveals about the medieval mindset (think crusades). 1. Because of how the chapel is located and the beauty of the stained glass, it is best to go either first thing in the morning so you get the beautiful eastern light in through the windows behind the altar, or towards the end of the day when you get the afternoon light coming through the large rose window at the rear of the church. 2. Getting in here can be a little difficult since it is located within the Palais de Justice, which is similar to their FBI, so you ll have to go through a security checkpoint. For some reason, this place has sometimes had issues with our Paris Passes, so make sure it is only you and your group going in at a time. Do not group up with other groups even if you recognize them there in line to get in. If you can have more than one adult (let a faculty know & they will gladly go with you) per group that will make it easier. 3. Once you get in, you will enter a lower chapel, where servants would have worshipped. This is a pretty little chapel in its own right, but primarily serves as the gift shop for the upstairs chapel today. Follow the signs and ascend into the upper chapel by going up the stairs in the back left of the lower church. 4. Walk in and just take it all in. After a few minutes of just gazing at the glass, grab a guide which will walk you through the stories on the windows. Notice the intricate carved statues of the apostles as well as the glass. Be sure to get a good look at the Rose window in the West (it s the book of Revelation, facing the setting sun). 5. Either while you are there or after you leave, be sure to reflect a little on stained glass, how it would have been made centuries ago, what sort of wealth would have been required to build a place like this (especially in a less affluent age than ours, so think about how many resources would have been used for this project (is it a good use of time/money?)), etc. Plan on Sainte-Chappelle taking you ¾ of an hour once inside.