Musée d'Orsay

The Musée d'Orsay is an art museum in Paris. The building was firstly used as the station which was founded in 1900. It was used about 40 years and in 1986, it changed into the museum which is highly famous today.

The museum exhibits artworks of 19 centuries including impressionism paintings. It has a lot of impressionism exhibits which was painted by Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cezanne, Manet, Van Gogh, etc. That's the reaon why The Orsay is called 'impressionism museum.'

History

The building had been founded in 1804 as the supreme court but because of fire, it was rebuilt in 1900 as the station. Around 40 years later, working as the station had to be stopped because the length of the platforms was shorter than newly made trains for manline services. So the station changed its role for suburban services and a mailing center during the second World War. In 1970, there was an argument related to the building. Some people insisted that removing the building would be better and got a permission from the Minister while the others asserted that it had to be maintained since they thought it was the Historic Monuments. The opponents of destroying the building suggested how about using it as the museum and it was accepted. After the construction for transforming it into the museum, in July 1986, it became the Musée d'Orsay which has had the 2000 or so paintings, 600 sculptures and other works.

Collection

well-known painters and their works

• Jean-François Millet : He is one of the representative painters of 19 century. He is famous for his realistic paintings about exhausted and poor farming area. Millet's pieces made impact to Monet, Pissaro, Van Gogh, and Cezan.

His well-known works are "The sower," "The Gleaners," "The Angelus", etc.

• Édouard Manet : He was once blamed since his paintings like "Déjeuner sur I'herbe," and "l'Olympia" were highly unusual at the time. However, his special expression attracted some young painters like Pissaro and Monet, and they founded impressionism.

His famous pieces are "Balcony," "Nana," "Déjeuner sur I'herbe," "l'Olympia," etc.

• Edgar Degas : He is famous for accurate drawing and colorful tone. He usually described momentary pose in new angle to take partional emphasis.

His famous paintings are "Dancer on Stage," "absinthe," "The dance class," etc.

• Paul Cézanne : He developed his personal style that every shape of nature was interpreted cylinder, globus, and cone. He made powerful influence to Cubists like Picasso so he is called "the father of modern painting."

His well-known pieces are "L'Estaque," "The Card Players," "Les Grandes Baigneuses," "Mont Saint e-Victoire," etc.

• Claude Monet : He named one of his pieces "Impression : Sunrise" and from this, the name Impressionism created. He effectly portrayed bright colors which was similar to the color of nature. Also he didn't mix paints on his palette.

He is famous for "Impression : Sunrise," "Rouen Cathedral," "Nymphéas", etc.

• Pierre-Auguste Renoir : He is famous for colorful tone. His well-known works are "Le Moulin de la Galette," "Le jeune garçon au chat," "Luncheon of the Boating Party," "La Lecture," etc.

• Vincent van Gogh : He used a loud color and fierce touch to establishing his own idiom. However, at first, he only used dark color because he chose depressed topics. His own idiom was appeared after being influenced by impressioninsts.

His famous pieces are "The Starry Night," "La nuit étoilée, Arles," "Café Terrace, Place du Forum, Arles," "Autoportrait," "Sunflowers," etc.