The Jardin du Luxembourg is a storied garden in the middle of the Fifth arrondissement in Paris -- in the Latin Quarter -- as I am sure you are aware. In the spring and summer, there probably is no better place to people watch and picnic but in the winter, it is really too cold to spend any significant amount of time sitting around - even when you are decked out in your arctic wear like I was. But to take in the art out on the railings and quickly take a few snapshots? I could do that. It is a guilty pleasure, in fact. I love to take in the free art on display outside the jardin.
Indeed, the city of Paris generously shares an incredible amount of art all along the iron gates all throughout the year. So if you don't have money for the Musée du Luxembourg (here, here…..Actually, I have had this museum on my to do list forever but I haven't yet been able to budget it in) you can still enjoy art from the jardin because they hang up all this art on the fence surrounding the garden and they change it frequently, so it's like a new fresh exhibit just about every single week.
Here is a description of the garden which I found on Parisinfo.com
Situated on the border between Saint-Germain-des-Prés and the Latin Quarter, the Luxembourg Gardens, inspired by the Boboli Gardens in Florence, were created upon the initiative of Queen Marie de Medici in 1612. The gardens, which cover 25 hectares of land, are split into French gardens and English gardens. Between the two, lies a geometric forest and a large pond. There is also an orchard with a variety of old and forgotten apples, an apiary for you to learn about bee-keeping and greenhouses with a collection of breathtaking orchids and a rose garden. The garden has 106 statues spread throughout the park, the monumental Medici fountain, the Orangerie and the Pavillon Davioud. There are many activities and facilities for children such as puppets, rides and slides. Adults, whether they are Parisians or tourists, can play chess, tennis, and bridge or remote control boats. The cultural programme is characterized by free photography exhibitions on the garden railings and by concerts in the bandstand.
So, this week on display is an exhibit of winter scenes from Canada and Antarctica and other cold, snow covered places like Greenland. It is quite a delight, especially the wildlife that can be seen in these very remote locations. It is perfect because I have been thinking that I want to paint some snow scenes (I have actually begun to do exactly that with "Snow-Covered Garbage on Boulevard Brune" "What do you Believe in" and "3 Unwanted Chairs" but I want to do a lot more) so this will definitely give me some inspiration, I think.
Below you can find some of the pictures I took. Enjoy:
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