a walk in the museum

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." — Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)

Don't be mistaken. I am neither an art enthusiast (one who considered himself ostentatiously artistic) by birth, nature or nurture.

I relate much better to music and some forms of dance but seldom do I get appealed by visual art forms (not denying that music and dance are considered art cast in different bodies) .

I can just hardly shake off my association with the arts. I seem to bump into them everywhere by coincidence or rather, by chains of connections.

That said, I do not go to see arts for its sake.

Fact has it that I happened to be at the museum recently. Till then, it was dubious if the subject of art would interest me.

We marvel at the mentions of "Louvre" and "Mona Lisa". Yet the moment you step into the gallery, your attention is drawn to that of a print originally painted by Pierre Mignard (1612-1695).
The piece resembles the reflection in a well, suggesting both literal and hidden depth, and mystery. It is in the shape of a dome, with intricate details of followers, beings and the ones being looked upon... suggesting the hope, trail or relationship of the living to heaven. Or is the way I interpret it. There is an air of serenity, faith and religion which lingers beyond the frame of the piece, as though it's a physical sphere suspended in the air. I admit that appropriate lighting on it can create such illusions.

Today, the circular fresco which dated back to 1663, still proudly adorned the interior ceiling of Val- de- Grâce in Paris.

In ancient french art, there were countless symbolic and architecture paintings. For instance, the Gallic cock or rooster, a national symbol of France. " Its association with France is due to the play on words in Latin between Gallus, meaning an inhabitant of Gaul, and gallus meaning rooster, or cock." ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gallic_rooster).

The symbol was commonly worn by the kings and knights in their armours, riding on their lavishly ornamented carousel horses. That also explains the meaning behind the presence of eagles and other animals in the prints, which personify the history and war. These are evident in those depicting the fountains, or was it just what it was said; only illustrations of aesop's fables.

Prints of Château deVersailles, le jardin des Tuileries, portraits of history, war, religion, the royalty, were scattered across the galleries. There were divided parts of a bigger print, such as the map of Paris and the print on the zodiacs. Fascinating and provoking prints illustrating the likeness and comparison of the human face to that of a lion, monkey, goat, etc. Prints reflecting the back and front view, panoramic and proximate view of the same object at different angles.

Art of the ancient centuries are really detailed and what we called fine art. Painting it so well was already a remarkable feat, imagine the work involved in engraving the painting on copper plates, creating exactly the same image using only strokes and lines, and in the reverse orientation!

Chalcography is indeed a noble way to preserve art. What's more, almost all the prints shown at the exhibition are in black and white. That's art beyond colours.

Ancient art portrays the recurring images and messages of that of the sacred, or better described as divine. It feels like a Da Vinci quest in itself.

Walking through history has a healing effect, an impact on oneself.