Musée d'Orsay (Musée d'Orsay) is one of the most important, beautiful, sought-after and leading museums in Paris in particular and in the world in general. Most of its works were transferred with the establishment of the museum in 1986, fromThe Louvre Museum, from the Museum of the “Je de Pomme” and the Tokyo Palace. The images represent the period between 1848 and 1914.
The fifth (top) floor is the museum's showcase and its main attraction. The jewel in the crown. The writer of these lines is one of the regular visitors to the Musée d'Orsay who goes straight to the top floor. On my last visit to Paris I spent half a day there and left with half my lust in my hands. If only I could stay here to sleep, I wouldn't hesitate to do so.
This is the Impressionist floor, which houses a rich and amazing art collection that includes prestigious and famous paintings by the best artists of the second half of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century.
The collection is exceptional in its quality and importance and contains the most famous Impressionist and Post-Impressionist works, by the giants of painting, such as: Claude Monet, Édouard Manet, Paul Cézanne, Camille Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Auguste Renoir, Vincent van Gogh, Paul Gauguin, Alfred Sisley, Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec and others. There is no doubt that this is a rare concentration of treasures in mesmerizing and rich exhibition halls.
It is impossible to list all the stars and all the famous works found here in this short list, but a short tour of the fifth floor will introduce us to some unforgettable masterpieces.
Claude Monet
The Musée d'Orsay owns over ninety works by Claude Monet, one of the founders and leaders of the Impressionist movement in art. Many of them are on permanent display.
Monet painted several impressive series, the most famous of which is the “Nymphs” series. “Rouen Cathedral” (La Cathedrale de Rouen) also had several versions and is shown here with the emphasis on images that show a particular place at different times of the day, with great variation in light and shadow and in tones.
Among Monet's unforgettable works located on the fifth floor, we can mention: “Saint-Lazare Train Station” (La Gare Saint Lazare), “Poppies” (Coquelicots), “Montorgueil Street in Paris” (La Rue Montorgueil à Paris), “Ice Cubes” (Les Glaçons).
Edouard Mane
“Lunch on the Grass” (Le Dejeuner Sur L'herbe) – Manet exhibited this wonderful painting at the Salon des Rejects in Paris in 1863 and sparked fierce controversy. Two men and two women are having a meal in a grove of trees and dining in a picnic style. One of the women is naked, the other is bathing. The men are fully clothed. This discrimination between men and women led to a major scandal that made the painting one of the most famous in the world.
Manet often painted Berthe Morisot. Morisot was a French Impressionist painter. She was married to Manet's brother. One of the works displayed on the fifth floor is “Berthe Morisot with a Fan” (Berthe Morisot a L'eventail).
If you would like to better understand the art of Manet and Berthe Morisot, I recommend you read Dr. Orna Lieberman’s article. Edouard Manet and Berthe Morisot: The Passion of Art.
August Renoir
“The Ball at the Moulin de la Galette” (Le Bal du Moulin de la Galette) – A complex and ambitious work by Renoir featuring many figures, some dancing and others seated. The work depicts a bourgeois ball, taking place in Montmartre at the Moulin de la Galette, on a Sunday afternoon.
Renoir observes the behavior of the cheerful crowd and is fascinated by the festive beauty. In the picture you will find strokes of color and plays of light and shadow, so it well demonstrates the Impressionist ideas. If you want to visit the places that Renoir painted in Montmartre, I recommend you to use the itinerary Montmartre of the great artists, which I created.
Renoir, like Monet, is also well represented on the fifth floor. The Musée d'Orsay owns ninety-eight works by Renoir. Many are on permanent display here. Renoir was one of the few Impressionist painters to paint nudes. The theme is expressed on the fifth floor in a number of rich nude paintings.
In addition, during your visit there you will find several other very famous works of his, such as: “Girls at the Piano” (Jeunes Filles au Piano) and “The Swing” (La Balançoire).
Paul Cezanne
“The Card Players” (Les Joueurs de Cartes) – In the 90s, Paul Cézanne created a series of five paintings depicting card players. The works in the series differ in size, the number of participants playing cards, and the location of the game. In the Musée d’Orsay version, the figure of the player on the left is shown in full, while the player on the right is shown partially. The picture is relatively small but its interest is great.
Another world-famous painting by Cézanne, Les Baigneurs, is on display here. This is also one of a series of three paintings. The version on display at D’Orsay has the largest number of bathers.
Edgar Degas
Degas, considered one of the fathers of Impressionism, painted dance extensively. His most famous paintings are of ballet dancers. On the fifth floor you will find, among others, “The Blue Dancers” (Les Danseuses Bleues), “The Ironers” (Les Repasseuses), “The Opera Orchestra” (L'orchestre de L'opera), “In a Cafe” (Dans un Cafe).
Camille Pissarro
The wonderful painter Camille Pissarro has a beautiful and dignified presence here. As you wander around the fifth floor you will find, among other things: “The Red Roofs” (Les Toits Rouge), “The Seine and the Louvre” (La Seine et le Louvre), and “The Hills of Vesinet” (Les Coteaux du Vesinet).
If you would like to read more about Camille Pissarro and get to know his art better, I recommend you read Dr. Orna Lieberman's article: Camille Pissarro, the first Impressionist.
Vincent Van Gogh
Van Gogh's special works are celebrated on the fifth floor. Some of the most famous include: "Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles" (La Chambre de Van Gogh a Arles), "The Church at Auvers Sur Oise" (L'eglise a Auvers Sur Oise), "Starry Night" (La Nuit Etoilee), and a self-portrait from 1889 (Portrait de L'artiste).
There are also some less famous works by Van Gogh here, but they are also interesting, such as: Painting of Fritillaries in a Copper Vase, a work called in French: Fritillaires Couronne impériale dans un Vase de Cuivre.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Toulouse-Lautrec was a cripple and short, but immensely talented. He became one of the most important Post-Impressionist painters, best known for documenting the bohemian life of ParisHis paintings depicted life at the club.Moulin Rouge, as well as other cabaret clubs, theaters, cafes and brothels.
Many of his works adorn the walls of the fifth floor. The most famous of them is probably “Jane Avril Dansant.” Jeanne Avril was the principal dancer of the Moulin Rouge club at the time, and in the wonderful oil painting shown here she performs a sweeping Can Can dance typical of the place and era.
Some of the pictures shown here have come a long way from the “salon of the rejected” to the luxurious walls of the fifth floor. Today, it is difficult to grasp that these shining gems were ridiculed and reviled by art conservatives, and that their creators were treated as miserable novices with delusions, simply because they sought to set new standards.
The extraordinary fifth floor is undoubtedly a dream floor. It is also one of the most visited floors in museums around the world. Impressionism is presented here at its best. It allows you to understand the scope and significance of the period. A visit here is a must for anyone interested in the artistic output of this important period.
The collection is huge, impressive and, above all, beloved. Most of the pictures are cheerful and radiant in their colors. The fifth floor provides a spectacular setting and setting for dozens of masterpieces by the greatest painters of the Impressionist era. It is the world's largest collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. Thanks to it, many visitors report that they enjoy visiting D'Orsay more than the Louvre.
