By Yuki Tsukui

I was deeply impressed by the excellent paintings, sculptures and handmade objects in the famous museums in England and Paris. European cities are full of beautiful things and people in Europe love to preserve old things, such as buildings. At the same time, they learn from their heritage when creating new styles in the modern age. There were many good museums, but I will write about the ones that most impressed me−the National Gallery in London, and the Louvre and Orsey museums in Paris.

My museum tour began at the National Gallery. At first, I was surprised at the great statues and the fountain in front of the museum. I envied Londoners for being able to spend their time freely by scattering corn for pigeons, eating their lunch and talking with their friends in such a wonderful place. It seems that they think art is not a thing to see only in museums, but they also adopt it in their daily lives and in their surrounding environment.

It was crowded with men and women of all ages inside the museum. The most crowded place was in front of the "Virgin of the Rocks" by Leonard da Vinci just to the left of the main entrance in the impressionism section. There were some art students there who were copying it. Their teacher was telling them that it has been 500 years since da Vinci died, but we can still learn a lot from him.

There were some Vincent van Gogh paintings in the impressionist's section, but "Sunflower" was the most popular and it was difficult to get close enough to see it. I caught a glimpse of it behind a group of people. I can't forget the vivid yellow even now.

Paris is a city of splendid art. Many artists long to visit Paris and many masterpieces were created there. It is at the leading edge of art and fashion, so I visited the Louvre first.

First of all, the scale of the building and its luxury staggered me. Secondly, I was surprised at the strict security. And thirdly, there were many brochures, which were written various languages. As might have been expected, the Lourve has been visited by many people from all over the world.

Speaking of the Lourve, I think everyone knows the Monna Lisa is there. A crowd of people gathered around it and lined up side by side in five rows. Monna Lisa was strictly guarded. There was a rope that stretched from a radius of 1.5 meters around it. In addition, the painting was surrounded by a kind of wooden table to keep people at a distance. Though photography is forbidden, some visitors tried to take a photo anyway. I would really want to take a picture of it if it was possible, but there were some clerks looking at visitors with a frown saying, "No camera, please!" I wanted to see the background and the detail of her hand but it was almost impossible because it was too far away to see clearly and there were so many people pressing me. No one could see the Monna Lisa at Lourve leisurely. Anyway, many art objects are collected from all over the world in the Lourvre and there are a lot of things to see. It is impossible to see everything in one day.

I saw a couple of art school students with sketchbooks. They were walking around taking notes about the works of art and the year they were painted. One of them complained, "It's the forth day today, but we haven't finished this yet." It seemed that they had homework to see every painting in the Lourve. They seemed very tired because they were overpowered by the art. I guess the total length of space in the Lourve is about two kilometers. That is very hard work.

I left the Lourve and headed for Orsey museum across the Seine River. But I did not know how to get there, and I entered a completely different building and I was driven out. Finally, I found the museum somehow.

Orsey museum was opened in 1986. Before that it was used as a station. It was remodeled, but there are some remnants that are worth seeing on the outside of the building if you have the time. When I passed the baggage check, it was like opening an art textbook. The museum has all the famous paintings up to the 19th century like Millet, Monet and Van Gogh. It is a wonderful place for fans of impressionists. I thought it is easy to see the art because there were fewer people there than in the Lourve.

The top floor of the museum had a cafe from which you could see the Seine River while having lunch. It was a good special spot because the meal was not so expensive. I found a similar cafe like this where you can take a light meal while looking at pictures and sculptures in the Royal Academy of Arts in London and in the National Gallery of Scotland. I thought it was a good way to enjoy the arts.

Almost all Japanese museums are so quiet and the only sounds you can hear are of visitor's footsteps. They have a tense atmosphere. However, Europeans usually enjoy talking while viewing art. I sometimes saw some people in deep discussions in front of the paintings.

I often saw children who were with their parents. I could hear them say things like, "What's this? He's funny! That's scary!" They were full of sensibility and saw the paintings in their own way. It was natural for them to take the works as they were without thinking deeply about them. I wonder if that it is the most important way to look at art?

I found beautiful art throughout the museums. In addition, I discovered a different sense of value of art and a new way to view it. It was a good experience to feel a real sense of art which can't be experienced through explanations of art from books. I want to take a museum tour again someday.