When my Mom was in Paris, we took an hour to check out the Gustave Moreau museum. Most people, even people who have some knowledge of art history, aren’t super familiar with this artist, but I gotta say, he’s extremely interesting!
He’s considered a Symbolist painter, so many of his tableaux are a fantastical melange of biblical, mythological, medieval, and otherwise imagined references. Some of his work is more textured, expressive, and colorful, like the later work of Delacroix, while his more famous works are expertly drawn, highly ornate, and almost scintillate with detail. His mix of symbolism with extreme attention to detail bring to mind, at least in my own head, apocalyptic yet ancient, and cult-like, ritualistic themes. I picture his images taking place in an imaginary time that is futuristic, yet extremely ancient at the same time, and it’s pretty easy to become lost in them.
This museum doesn’t take long to visit, so I would highly recommend it as an extra outing when you need something else to do in Paris. I say that like you’ll actually run out of things to do… NOT possible! haha
What’s also pretty unique, is that the museum itself resides in Moreau’s actual home, and planning for it began while he was still alive, by Moreau himself. As a result, you can see not only some of his living quarters, but also take comfort in the fact that it was organized and preserved according to the artist’s own vision. Pretty neat!