For the Love of Art
“Art evokes the mystery without which the world would not exist,” the Belgian surrealist, René Magritte, once said. Before photographs and videos, there was only art. From paintings of monarchs, sculptures and monuments to ceramics, drama, music and so much more. We owe our thanks to the creative minds of our ancestors. How else would we know - or at least, have an idea - of what Shakespeare looked like? Or how cavemen once viewed the world? On some of our holidays, you’ll have the opportunity to see pieces of art from across history. For the love of art, it’s only fair we talk about a few of them.
Mona Lisa
You probably know that Leonardo Da Vinci painted what is arguably the most famous painting in the world. Da Vinci used a particular technique that involved using subtle ranges of light and shadow to emphasis the facial bone structure. His carefully crafted flow of the veil, the woman’s steady gaze and patience show that he understood his subject. Although it’s thought to be Lisa Gherardini, wife of the merchant Francesco del Giocondo, the subject has never been identified. The painting continued its popularity throughout the 19th century - likely because of Da Vinci’s fame as an inventor, scientist and painter. Since then, it has been stolen, been the inspiration for 20th century artists to mock up their own versions, and remains a popular tourist attraction.
Visit the Louve in your free time on our Seine, Paris and Normandy river cruise.
Bassins des Lumières
In Bordeaux, there’s no better way to immerse in the masterpieces of art’s greatest names than at Les Bassins des Lumières. In 2020, an old submarine base from the Second World War found a new purpose – to become the largest digital art centre in the world. With a whopping projection surface area of 12,000 m2, four 110m long pools of water and 90 video projectors, your visit to this unique exhibition will see you walking through colours, lighting and water reflections. Let music fill your ears as works of art project across the world come together from floor to ceiling in the vast submarine space.
View this installation on the Signature version of our Grand tour of Paris, Bordeaux and Saint-Émilion.
The Bayeux Tapestry
Created in the 11th century, the Bayeux Tapestry is a unique artifact. With more than 70 scenes, it depicts the famous Battle of Hastings that ultimately led to William the Conqueror's conquest of England. For seven centuries, it was kept in the Treasury of Bayeux Cathedral, hung in the nave once a year. It wasn’t really recorded in history books until the 18th century; it spent the next couple centuries being moved around, and it was almost destroyed several times. Luckily the tapestry has survived the years (having been restored a couple of times) and now helps scientists, artists and historians learn about the past. It’s displayed at the Bayeux Tapestry Museum – which we visit on our Seine, Paris and Normandy river cruise - in the French city of Bayeux.
The Starry Night
If you hear a voice within you say, ‘you cannot paint,' then by all means paint, and that voice will be silenced.
Vincent Van Gogh created hundreds of works of art that didn’t find fame till after his death. But perhaps one of the most impressive of his collection is The Starry Night. Van Gogh spent twelve months at the Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in Southern France, where his window view inspired him to embrace a sense of expression, mood and symbolism in the form of the night sky. Despite the piece being painted during daytime sessions in June 1989, the Dutch painter was able to demonstrate his ability to picture a beautiful world separate from our own – the dark sky as a deep blue, lighter blues representing the direction of the swirling wind, the sleeping hills as silhouettes of their former selves and the stars shining through as bursting balls of yellow. And whilst this stunning piece of art resides in New York’s Modern Art Museum, many of Van Gogh’s timeless pieces come from the vibrant region of Provence. So, how about checking out the irresistible, inspirational French landscapes for yourself?
Chauvet Caves
Cave paintings have been a pivotal peek at a time before recorded history. In France, the Chauvet cave paintings feature markings of 13 distinct species like reindeer, mammoths, bears and lions. Remarkably, the cave wasn’t discovered until 1994 when three French cavers discovered the entrance and descended into a natural hall with a high ceiling. In one of the many chambers, hand markings and red painted images of animals were discovered. Over time the cave has been the home of early humans – the Aurignacian and the Gravettian (30,000 years ago) – and bears, both proven by footprints and fossilised bones. And to make your jaw drop, the markings on the wall are some of the earliest recordings of cave art. Talk about prehistoric.
See these – and many other works of art – on our History and Art of the Rhône river cruise.
Monet's Garden
The unforgettable experience of visiting Monet's Garden is a treat for any traveller. The garden is an art within itself and it’s also where he painted his famous Les Nymphéas (The Waterlilies). But to see the marvellous pieces he painted; you must visit Musée Marmottan Monet in Paris. The museum holds a vast collection of works by Claude Monet, Berthe Morisot and an assortment of other famous pre-modern painters and sculptors. Perhaps the most famous is Monet’s Impression, Sunrise – a name he gave it after saying, ‘Put impression’ in the title. The impression painting formed the way for impressionism in art, creating it in a series of water and landscapes of Le Havre (the harbour) in Normandy. It was first exhibited at Paris’ first Impressionist exhibition in 1874.
The richness I achieve comes from nature, the source of my inspiration.
Visit the museum in your free time in Paris on our Seine, Paris and Normandy River Cruise, or view his gardens on our Monet's Garden, The Loire Valley and Fontainebleau tour.
The Birth of Venus
The birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, Florence is home to many masterpieces of the Renaissance's art and architecture. Take Alessandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venice, a mythological painting depicting Venus, the Roman Goddess, arriving on the shores of Paphos on a seashell. It’s one of the most famous paintings to come from the early period of the era (somewhere between 1482 and 1485). On a visit to Uffizi Gallery - which is included in our Florence and Tuscany Holiday - you’ll be able to see this incredible painting and so many more works by iconic Italian artists like Da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raffaello.
Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun.
Ceiling of the Sistine Chapel
Another example of the best of Renaissance art – Michelangelo's extraordinary artwork on the ceiling of Sistine Chapel in Vatican City. The ceiling is only a part of the Vatican Museums with more than 20,000 exhibits on display. The collection of ceiling frescos is dedicated to the Biblical narrative told from the Book of Genesis and the Old Testament. A particularly famous scene is the Creation of Adam which portrays God’s creation of the first man. We reckon you’ve seen many versions of this scene in the media.
You can visit Vatican City on the Signature version of our Classical Italy tour.
We've only shown you a handful of inspiring artistic marvels, but there's so much art to discover all around the world. How about checking out our full list of tours? Who knows what you’ll find.
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