TÜRK MÜZECİLİĞİNDE YENİ DÖNEM

Diplomatic crisisThe collection of the Louvre, Europe’s first-ranking museum with the largest number of visitors, is grouped into eightCuratorial Departments, namely, Paintings, Sculptures, Near Eastern Antiquities, Egyptian Antiquities, Greek, Etruscan,and Roman Antiquities, Islamic Art, Decorative Arts, Prints and Drawings. The Near Eastern Department houses veryspecial antique sculptures dating from the Achaemenid period in Assyria. The Department of Egyptian Antiquities isprobably one of the most interesting parts of the museum. It presents vestiges from the civilizations that developed in theNile Valley from the late prehistoric era (c. 4000 BC) to the Christian period (4 th century AD). These vestiges, excavated bythe French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo and brought over to Paris, are of such great significance that theycontinue to cause diplomatic disputes between France and Egypt, who claims that the historical pieces should bereturned to their homeland. The Department for Greek, Etruscan and Roman Antiquities present sculptures andwall-paintings from the period between 2000 BC and 300 AD. In the Department of Decorative Arts, one can admirethe most outstanding examples of decorative arts from the Middle Ages up to our era. The most valuable specimenof medieval French and European painting and major masterpieces of the art of painting describing the course ofworld history occupy a foremost place in the Department of Paintings. The Department of Sculptures houses themost important samples of the European art of sculpture.Louvre Müzesi Avrupa’nınenine en geniş binasıdır(üstte), Daphne’yi takip edenApollo. (altta)Louvre Museum’s buildingis the longest building inEurope (above), Apollofollowing Daphne. (below)Mona Lisa’s secretThe best-known piece in this museum, housing 35 thousand different piecesdating from the 6 th century BC to the 19 th century AD, is undoubtedly the portraitknown under the name of Mona Lisa, which Leonardo da Vinci started painting in1503 and finished in four years. Mona Lisa, the lady whose identity is unknown, neverrevealing the mystery of the expression on her face, who drags along countless legends,secret codes and mysteries, is welcoming her visitors in the Louvreas one of the most enigmatic ladies of history. The bookspublished in recent years on mysticism and Leonardo da Vincicontributed to an increased interest for the painting having thedimensions of 77x53 cm. Experts still pursue their efforts to analyzeand unravel the secret of the challenging smile of Mona Lisa. From thevery entrance of the museum, signboards indicate the way to follow in orderto reach the most famous painting of the world. The public has to stand quitelong time in queue before being able to see Mona Lisa at close range.Symbol of the French RevolutionLiberty Leading the People, painted by Eugène Delacroix, theacknowledged leader of the Romantic school in French painting, is yetanother artwork attracting a great number of visitors. The painting iscommemorating the July Revolution of 1830, which toppled Charles X of France. A womanpersonifying Liberty leads the people forward over the bodies of the fallen, holding the tricolore flag ofthe French Revolution in one hand and brandishing a bayoneted musket with the other. The painting isperhaps Delacroix’s best-known work and considered symbol of the French Revolution all over theworld. The painting inspired the Statue of Liberty in New York City, which was given to the United Statesas a gift from the French only 50 years after Liberty Leading the People had been painted. Baudelaire, the‘Prince of Poets’ characterized Delacroix as the last great representative of Renaissance painting and thefirst great painter of the modern period.