plus d'esquisses...more sketches

I went to the Musee d'Orsay today with my class, and we had the most amazing tour guide. She was incredibly knowledgeable, and she told us a bunch of tidbits about Delacroix and Baudelaire and Manet. I was in art history heaven. After the tour (which I wish could have been longer) I did some sketches of Cezanne and one of Degas's Petite Danseuse. Here they are:

Cézanne. Portrait de l'artiste.

Degas. Petite danseuse de quatorze ans. 

One of the things I noticed about sketching in a museum is that everyone wants to see your drawing. People will come and stand behind you to peek over your shoulder, and you can hear them commenting to each other about your piece. One woman whispered, "It's wonderful!" to me, while a little boy told his mom, "She's good." It was definitely an ego booster, if nothing else. Also, the experience made me realize that when drawing in such an awkward, public place you are forced to draw quickly, without too much thought or intention. This results in a more loose style, which is good for me since I tend to be a bit timid about letting my hand simply wander. I plan to go back to the musee because I had to leave early to grab lunch with friends (I was starving). There is still so much to see and draw, I think I could spend virtually all day there! 

Tomorrow I leave for Brussels (bright and early at 8:30) so I may not be able to post this weekend what with all the sightseeing we'll be doing. Alors, bon weekend et à lundi!