A Tour of the Louvre, the Pride of France

By JIM PURCELL

The Louvre is the largest museum in the world, which is located in Paris, France. It resides on the Right Bank of the Seine River. About 35,000 objects from prehistory to the 21st century are exhibited over an area of 782,910 square feet. And, it is the world's second-most visited museum.

The Louvre was originally built as a fortress by French King Philip II during the 12th century. In 1546, the fortress was converted into a royal palace by French King Francis I. From that time, the site served as the primary residence for French royalty. The building was added to many times during its royal tenure. However, in 1682, King Louis XIV broke from tradition and chose his Palace at Versailles for his household. After he left, Louis XIV used the palace as a place where he would keep his collection of art.

The Louvres' future mission began to take shape in 1692, when the building became occupied by the Academie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture, which held the first series of exhibits there in 1699. Finally, during the French Revolution, the Louvre was announced by the National Assembly to be used as a museum to display the nation's masterpieces.

The museum opened on August 10, 1793 with a showcase that included 537 paintings, most of which were paintings that were previously confiscated either by the former French government or the Catholic Church there.

This brings us until today, where the Louvre continues in its ages-old mission of being a hub of art and beauty, which has become known throughout the world for its remarkable collections. Truly, the Louvre is one of the great places to be seen by artists, art lovers, and for people from all nations and walks of life.

Impressionism and Mary Cassatt

American Impressionist Mary Cassatt (1844-1926), perhaps one of the original 'Americans in Paris,' was a painter and printmaker. Born in Pennsylvania and a graduate of the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, she is notable for her unique style and treatment of light and color. She was also among the pre-eminent woman of the Impressionism Movement.

Why the Paris publication 'Charlie Hedbo' was attacked

The Paris magazine Charlie Hedbo was attacked because it was doing its job -- looking at life from a satirical point of view.

The publication was founded in 1970 and is operated as a weekly satirical news magazine. It is considered "left wing" by some.

I honor those men and women who gave their lives in the name of journalism. I was a journalist myself for about 20 years. What I learned in that time was that, when done right, journalism matters. It is intended to be thought-provoking. Sometimes, among the stupid, thought-provoking turns to murder, as happened most recently in Paris against Charlie Hedbo.

It is even more surprising to Americans when something like this happens; by and large American publications (with notable exceptions) and so-called news channels (yes, I am talking about you FOX News) say very little, work very hard at not offending anyone that can hit back and are virtually worthless in communicating the world around them to viewers or readers. Most so-called news channels have become "news entertainment," which is moronic.

Simply put, the folks at Charlie Hedbo were doing their jobs. And, may those who perished rest in peace, and those who were injured recover to full health. I salute them and their work. I grieve for their losses. I will not forget their sacrifices soon.

Interestingly enough, when reporting this tragedy, most American media persists calling Charlie Hedbo a newspaper: It isn't. It's a magazine. Someone should probably cover the differences between the two in college somewhere. Yet, that is nothing compared to the fact that the American media has been locating the wars this nation has had for a decade now in the "Middle East," when Southerwestern Asia is nowhere near it.

Good journalists do come into peril, which is why the vast majority of American "journalists" are completely safe.

As for the murderers who claims the lives of 12 decent people, may they burn in hell.

A HISTORY OF IMPRESSIONISM - Art/Artist/Discovery (documentary)

The early masters of Impressionism created a bright and flowing world we still live within. Their work inspired architects, designers of all kinds, as well as painters from the early 20th century until today.

The Illiad, a Story for All Ages

The first book I ever read was Leroux's translation of the Illiad. He presented the great work in the late 19th century. I was a boy, who was obsessed with great heroes in history some 75 years after he died. So, despite being only 9 or 10 years old, I wrestled with the book for two years, stopping and starting. Finally, I finished it, and I read it several more times consecutively afterward, because I wanted to know what all the fuss about Helen of Troy was over and I heard so much about Achilles by smart people talking about literature.

The Illiad was "written" some time between 1260 and 1240 BCE in Ancient Greece, allegedly by the blind traveling story teller Homer. The story told of how the fabled kingdom of Troy (modern Hisarlik) was sacked by the Achaean host, which was an alliance of armies from the Greek city states, pledged to allegedly recover the queen of Sparta, Helen, from Prince Paris, of Troy, who stole her while a guest of King Menelaus of Sparta. So, Agamemnon, Menelaus' brother, called upon the kingdoms of Greece to join their forces together, with him as general, to conquer Troy, whose king was the venerable Priam. It was also an opportunity for the great hero of Greece, Myrmidon Prince Achilles, to confront the great Trojan Prince Hector.

It is agreed, historically speaking that, in the Illiad, Achilles is the "good guy," and Agamemnon is the "bad guy," Hector is a "good guy" almost as strong as Achilles and his brother, Paris, was weak and smart. Menelaus was strong and dumb. Nestor and Priam were both wise. Odysseus was crafty. Patroclus was unlucky.

My favorite character was not any of the big names. In fact, my favorite character has but a few cameos. I admired Ajax the most. There were actually two Ajaxes in the story, Ajax the Greater, who was the son of Telamon, and "Ajax the Lesser," who was the son of Oilerus, ruler of Locris.

I would take either Ajax over the whining, bitching princes of Greece or the two self-absorbed princes of Troy. It was a simple war for Ajax the Greater and Lesser, respectively: Like workmen they woke up each morning, rallied their troops, and laid some paint on the Trojans -- no quarter given or asked. A young boy is impressed by the clear way this policy works. Of course, as a man, I see that policy as a terrible thing -- but this is now and then was then.

Nevertheless, it was the two Ajaxes who were in the fight day in and day out, while politics happened in the tents to the rear. And there is great virtue in that. Yet, while the Greek victory over the Trojans is given historically to Agamemnon and Achilles, I think it was actually the Ajaxes that did most of the work to achieve that victory. As in life, those who fight the fight are not always the ones who gain from its winning.

The story changes with time, at least for me. Where once the Illiad was the chronicle of a war filled with heroes and gods, great deeds and valor -- I see it now only as a great tragedy for the ones who had nothing to do with starting the conflict or profiting from it. Scores of common soldiers died for nothing, a great city was sacked and burned and the toll on families (both the Trojans and those of the Achaean host) was unspeakable. Greedy men fighting a dirty war for their own profit and power; there is a theme that has not been dimmed by time or yellowed by the ages.

If anything, the Illiad is proof that the more things change, the more they stay the same. There are always Agamemnons and Priams, Hectors and Helens. Today, instead of armor and fine frocks, the bad guys and gals wear designer suits and office wear. Their goals are the same as yesteryear, though.

If anything, I think there was more virtue with the Greeks of old, though. At least they were more honest about their intentions, and their vices were not hidden behind so much horse dump.