Another Potpourri Sunday

Our apartment is a busy place.  It is a warm place with lots of food and the students find it to be a great place to take a break during the day.  Sometimes we are all out, however, when they try to stop by.  If they call and find out we will be home soon, they are known to just camp out with their computers or iPhones until we arrive.  This is what we found at the apartment door one evening.

Paola, Sam, Mary Claire, Madeleine and Audrey (aka Kate's Gang) patiently waiting

Last week Earl and Elaine Fry were in town and came over for Sunday dinner.  Earl is one of Kelly's colleagues and has a Fulbright in Helsinki, Finland for a year.

Samantha, Audrey, Earl and Elaine Fry, Kelly, Kate and Mary Claire

Professor Fry came to Paris to speak at the American Embassy and at a European Union meeting.  He offered to speak to the students about the relationship between the U.S. and the EU.  Professor Fry was a missionary in France at the same time as Mitt Romney.  We had a lively discussion about France and politics.  To celebrate their visit, we purchased a yummy apple tart from the White Bakery.  And of course Madeleine requested brownies to help keep them going while they studied.

Kate and Mary Claire eye the apple tart

I realized this week that Kelly hadn't been to the Orangerie in 32 years.  We saw ads in the métro for a special Debussy exhibit at the Orangerie that included art, literature and the artists that influenced Debussy's music.

Claude Debussy

The Orangerie also has two large oval rooms covered with Monet's water lilies that he painted near the end of his life specifically for those rooms.  Twice each day they play Debussy's music for 20 minutes in one of the water lily rooms.

Monet's Water Lilies

We enjoyed the exhibit on Debussy and strolled through the rest of the museum.  The Orangerie contains paintings collected by Paul Guillaume, a Parisian art dealer who was influential during the period after WW I until his death in 1934.   He was the first to organize African art exhibitions in Paris.  You can see that influence in the portrait of Guillaume by Modigliani.

Paul Guillaume, by Modigliani

We found Paul Guillaume interesting because he was one of the art dealers used by Barnes in Philadelphia to obtain his art collection.  Barnes had a whole floor in his mansion of African art, and we could see Paul Guillaume's influence. 
We saw a woman copying one of the paintings.  We often see this when we visit the Louvre.  The artists must obtain a permit to set up and copy a painting.  The copy cannot be the same size as the original to prevent forgeries.

Harlequin and Pierrot by André Derain

The Orangerie is located in the Tuileries Gardens by the Place de la Concorde.  Kelly told me how he loves seeing the monuments of Paris from different vantage points around the city.  Lately the Eiffel Tower has been rather misty which seems particularly beautiful.  Because of the students, visits from colleagues and our Paris excursions, our lives are rich and busy.

Kelly at Place de la Concorde near l'Orangerie