Art Appreciation in a Train Station

Gare (Station) d'Orsay was completed in 1900 facing River Seine and became the first electrified urban rail terminal in the world. In 1977, it was converted into a museum with the same name, Musée d'Orsay, and has been guarding the French Government's collection of paintings, sculptures, furniture and photographs since then.

The entrance fee was €8 at the time of my visit in June 2009. I got a ticket with Millet's The Gleaners, one of his most celebrated works.

This ticket opened my eyes to a vast exhibition area, which is much better than those enclosed galleries in some other museums in my opinion. I like open space.

The first painting I looked for was no other than Millet's The Gleaners, since it was printed on my ticket. The original work was definitely more stunning than the tiny little print on my ticket.

On the larger walls of the ground floor, a few life-size paintings were on display. Some sculptures were lined along the walkway as well.

The ground floor also houses Manet's and Monet's paintings, as well as some other impressionist artists' works.

The walkway of the ground floor were lined with sculptures for visitors to appreciate at close range. Those standing on the ground and sitting on the benches not included!

The upper floors display the smaller paintings, mostly from the impressionism and post-impressionism era.

That includes one of Van Gogh's self-portrait painting and one of his last 100 or so works produced during the last ten weeks of his life, The Church at Auvers. I like Vincent van Gogh's paintings very much for their vivid colours and wave-like patterns.

During my visit, there was a non-permanent exhibition of Italian portraits which I like for their warm tone, rich colours and the environmental details.

One of the paintings that shouldn't be missed here is Bal du moulin de la Galette (commonly known as Le moulin de la Galette) by Renoir. Nobody would doubt that this is one of the most celebrated masterpieces in impressionism.

As I was walking around, I saw some teenage girls chatting while resting, ignoring Caillebotte's Les raboteurs de parquet (The Floor Scrapers) scrapping the floor behind them. Nevertheless, they at least caught the attention of another girl.

The last batch of paintings I appreciated included this Tahitian Women on the Beach by Gauguin. There were just too many paintings to appreciate in this museum! My €8 was well spent. I think most painting lovers will agree with me.