The Louvre- Historic Art and Noble Thieves

The Louvre, the art museum made famous in modern times by the rather underwhelming Mona Lisa and The Da Vinci Code, is indeed "one of the most elaborate paradoxes in the world of architecture" (68). Once a magnificent palace, it still maintains its seventeenth century exterior, with its intricate carvings, and some of the beautifully painted ceilings common in such other palaces as Versailles. These ceilings are actually more impressive than some of the paintings showcased in the museum, but then again, some of the rooms have so many works of art crammed into them that it is difficult to really appreciate many of them. Other parts of the Louvre, however, contrast starkly with its palatial past, from the glass pyramid outside to the more recently redesigned parts inside, with some walls having about as much character as the walls of my dorm room and the entry resembling the center of a shopping mall.

With the exception of certain rooms, the history of the Louvre as a royal palace with its ballets and extravagant parties is practically invisible. However, its present incarnation as an art gallery reflects the many individuals that contributed, over a few centuries, to adding to it and redefining it, with "no one consecutive intention behind the builders' activities" (73). In fact, the most fascinating exhibits are those completely incongruous with the museum's location. The artifacts from Ancient Egypt were impressive because of their age and that some of the texts had attempts at French translations beside them. The Middle East exhibit was also fun to see, giving a picture of a completely different civilization that grew parallel to, and sometimes faster than, Western Europe. These exhibits were also more enjoyable because they were not as overcrowded.

However, I also realized that the reason artifacts from Egypt, the Arabian Peninsula, and other European countries were gathered in the Louvre was due to Napoleon I and his armies stealing things from the places they conquered. The military ethic of "the man who won the war won the art as well" provided the present-day Louvre with many of its most interesting exhibits, and Napoleon and Vivant Denon exploited this as much as they possibly could. Granted, Napoleon had plenty of things stolen from him at the Louvre as well, but his own thievery has had a further-reaching impact. Some of his bounty has been returned to its respective countries of origin, but it is hard not to enjoy what remains in the Louvre, even if it was acquired through now grossly illegal means.