Last month, I celebrated a birthday milestone. In honor of turning 30, I spent the week of my birthday in Paris. I had never been to Paris, but have dreamed about visiting the City of Lights since I was little. Paris really became my “must-visit” destination once I decided to major in Art History. I just had to see in person all of the works of art I studied over the past twelve years.
Paris was breathtaking, and every monument–museums, cathedrals, towers, arcs–made me feel like I was walking into my old art history textbooks. The two works of art that most impressed me were The Raft of the Medusa (at the Louvre) and Olympia (at the Musée d’Orsay). I could have spent hours with both of them! But my favorite place, by far, was Claude Monet’s home at Giverny. Being there, it was easy to see why he was so inspired by nature, and especially by water lilies. I didn’t have a canvas or paints with me, but I did use my camera to capture some of my favorite artistic locales.
Shannon Karol
Manager of Docent Programs and Gallery Teaching