I’ve seen the Mona Lisa many times: in movies, in TV shows, on mugs and T-shirts. However, I’d always dreamed of seeing the real thing and making eye contact with the eyes that follow you around the room. So when I went on an impulsive trip to Paris, I booked my Louvre ticket and followed the arrows to find the gallery where the infamous painting hangs. However, instead of seeing Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, all I could see was the backs of people’s heads. Stood in a kind of queue, kind of crowd, I saw tourists on their tiptoes trying to take blurry photos. I did so too for a little while before deciding to turn around and find a quieter art piece.
After all, in the largest museum on earth, the Mona Lisa is not the only thing to see. Here is what else I found:
The Wedding Feast at Cana
Directly opposite the Mona Lisa yet attracting far less attention is The Wedding Feast at Cana by Paolo Veronese. This oil on canvas’ sheer magnitude is mesmerising. You can spend a while sitting by the corner, zeroing in on different figures and wondering what their stories are.
The Winged Victory of Samothrace
At the top of the Louvre’s main staircase, you’ll see an 18ft white angelic sculpture standing upon a boat. Though lacking both arms and a head, this Greek monument of Nike, the Goddess of Victory, seems animated as she stands triumphant.
Portrait of a Woman of the Court of Milan
If you came to the Louvre desperate to see the work of da Vinci, the Portrait of a Woman of the Court of Milan is less known than the Mona Lisa but nevertheless striking. Against a black background, you can see a bejewelled woman with undeniable beauty whose identity is a mystery.
Liberty Leading the People
You’ll repeatedly see Eugène Delacroix’s Liberty Leading the People in the museum gift shop on postcards, posters, and bookmarks, but it is well worth finding the real thing in the Red Rooms of the Louvre. Liberty is personified by holding a French flag stood atop lifeless bodies, the apparent cost of freedom.
The Seasons
Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s The Seasons is a sequence of four paintings along a wall where each head, made up of one season’s harvest, represents a different stage in life. The images are macabre reminders of the changes time brings.
Navigating The Louvre
If you’re thinking about going to the Louvre, my best advice would be to spend a whole day there. Tickets cost €22 (but are free if you are under 26 and an EU citizen). To make full use of your ticket, book an early time slot because once you enter you can stay until closing time. Upon arrival, you’ll join a queue to pass through security based on the time of your booking. Post-security, I’d recommend leaving your bags in one of the free lockers so you don’t get a backache while ambling through the art gallery.
The Louvre has spaces to eat and sit, and even a shopping mall attached. However the galleries are the most impressive part – they’re a space to see art, some of which you may have heard of and others you’ll know nothing about. To have the best experience in the Louvre, take your time and look around.
Words by Jennifer Cartwright