Berlin and Paris

The trip to Berlin and Paris was wonderful. I will post photos as soon as I can get them developed. Yes, I'm still using a film loaded camera! They are still used for Fine Art Photography, so I will always have the Canon Rebel 35mm even after I get a digital SLR.

Paris was everything I expected. I still daydream about walking down the Champs de Elysee and through the streets of this old, beautiful city. Instead of going to the Louvre and the Musee D'Orsay, we decided to see the Centre Pompidou, the contemporary art museum. The center, itself, is a most interesting piece of modern architecture, and it showcased artists from around the world. But the best part of the trip was visiting the art galleries. I had the opportunity to see what the most famous city for art is currently selling! This stoked my imagination in such a way that I can't wait for my Senior Painting class next semester to explore the many ideas that I have!

In Berlin I visited the Pergamon Museum, the the Natural Science Museum, and a couple of art galleries. The Pergamon Museum houses the famous Pergamon Altar, which was built in 170 BC and is regarded as the masterpiece of Hellenistic sculpture. It also houses an architectural reconstruction of the Ishtar Gate, an example of the most ancient forms of monumental religious architecture dating back the 4th millennium BC. I had studied these works in Art History, so it was amazing to actually see them.

One art gallery, in particular, was outstanding. It featured work from African artists and you can see it at www.friendsforeverzimbabwe.com The site is under reconstruction right now, so you'll have to check back on it to see when it will get back online. I'll post photos of a few pieces once they're developed.

Bonne jour, Denise