PROGRAM ITINERARY

FIRST WEEK

1. Tues. 7/6
   Travel from New York City to Paris with ARTIS group leader; depart USA on International flight and fly across International Time Zones.
   
   
2. Wed 7/7
   We will arrive in Paris in the morning, and travel by bus into Paris. We will then take taxis to our dorms. After we unpack and recuperate, we will meet for lunch. The instructor will give an orientation to the city and neighborhood. We will find out how to get around town using public transportation, how to exchange currency, find and use the post office, locate the art supply and bookstores, and a few of the peculiarities of being in Paris. The evening will conclude with a short walking tour.
   
   
3. Thur 7/8
   We will meet for a daily orientation at the classroom. The instructors will introduce their courses and discuss class expectations. We will have a brief overview of the history of the city and its geography, we will talk about its development in concentric rings, discuss the Seine as the spinal cord of the city as well as the great divide between Right and Left Banks, trace its lines of fortification and Grand Boulevards, the imprints of royalty and church, and the divisions into 20 arrondissements. Later we'll visit the Carnavalet Museum of the history of Paris. See artifacts from Gaelic times, the Roman period, Carolinian and medieval remnants. Appreciate the Renaissance building and walk through the development of this great city.
   
   
4. Fri 7/9
   A.M. - Meet at the classroom. We will cross the river on the Pont des Arts (Bridge of the Arts) to the Louvre, sometime royal palace, now encyclopedic museum. We will observe 19th century allegorical French painting and current temporary exhibition.
   P.M. - Sketching in the museum and in the Tuilleries gardens just outside of it. Weather permitting, we may go on a ride on the Ferris Wheel in the Tuilleries, which has exceptional views of the city.
   
   
5. Sat 7/10
   Free Day or (optional fee)
   A bus trip through the various monuments of Paris. Among the different stops on this tour are Bastille, Place de la Concorde, and la Grande Arche de la Defence. An excellent orientation to the city.
   
   
6. Sun 7/11
   Free day
   
   
7. Mon 7/12
   A.M. - After a daily morning meeting, we will visit the Gothic Cathedral of Notre Dame de Paris on Ile de la Cite. See the building with its elaborate ornamentation, tour the nave of the church as well as the top of the facades, walk among enchanting gargoyles and underneath flying buttresses. We will then walk across Ile de la Cite, and visit Sainte Chapelle, the breathtaking royal chapel, the height of Gothic virtuosity of stained glass lighting. This 13th century jewel is an early precursor of modern French steel-and-glass construction.
   P.M. - Sketching at the Luxembourg Gardens, with the enchanting Medici Fountain and the high formalism of a French garden or we may visit the Babylon Garden, an exquisite specimen of a small urban public garden.
   
   SECOND WEEK
   
   
8. Tues 7/13
   A.M. - Class critique.
   P.M. - We'll visit the Rodin Museum, where we will view and sketch the delightful work of this monumental 19th century sculptor and his Burghers of Calais. Afterwards if time allows we'll visit the Tomb of Napoleon.
   
   
9. Wed 7/14
   A.M.- We will meet for a daily orientation at the studio, after which we will ride the metro to the Pompidou Center. We will first walk around the building, and see the impact that the building had on its previously rundown surroundings. We will see the outdoor activity and Jean Tinguely's joyful Stravinsky Fountain. Then we will visit the National Museum of Modern Art, with its impressive permanent collection featuring, among many others, Picasso, Braque, Balthus, and Giacometti.
   P.M. - Sketching in the marais with its Renaissance hotels and Jewish neighborhood.
   
   
10. Thur 7/15
    A.M. - We'll have a day trip out of Paris, to visit Versaille.
    P.M. -We'll spend the afternoon sketching in the gardens of Versaille.
    
    
11. Fri 7/16
    A.M.- We'll visit the Musee de l'Orangerie and see Monet's great water-lily murals, Cezannes and late Renoirs.
    P.M.- In the afternoon visit the old Paris Opera, the jewel in the crown of 19th century urbanism under the leadership of Napoleon III and the direction of George-Eugene Haussman.
    
    
12. Sat 7/17
    A.M. - Day trip to Giverny, the house, the gardens, and studio of Claude Monet, the Impressionist painter. See the artist's famous Japanese bridge and pond filled with waterlilies. Lunch in a country restaurant. In the afternoon, visit the small town of Auvers-sur-Oise, where Vincent Van Gogh spent the last months of his life. See the simple room where he lived, the local church which appears in his paintings, and the cemetery where he is buried.
    
    
13. Sun 7/18
    Free Day
    Sunday concert at St Eustache (huge organ in a great cathedral with no big crowds)
    
    
14. Mon 7/19
    Free Day
    
    THIRD WEEK
    
    
15. Tues 7/20
    A.M.- We'll enjoy a visit to Museum d'Orsay.
    P.M. -To be announced.
    
    
16. Wed 7/21
    A.M.- Walking tour of Paris. Visit Cluny, walk in Latin Quarter, St-Etienne du Mont, Mouffetard market.
    P.M.- (optional fee) In the afternoon, class critique. In the evening we'll take a boat rid down the Seine river where we'll see the Rotonde de la Villette by the 18th century architect and theoretician Claude-Nicolas Ledoux. See one of the outstanding specimen of Enlightenment Classical architecture.
    
    
17. Thur 7/22
    A.M.- A trip to the Basilique du Sacre Coeure. View Paris from its highest topographic point, and visit the artists's quarter of Monmartre and the Museum of Monmartre.
    P.M.- Afternoon classes will be held around Monmartre.
    
    
18. Fri 7/23
    A.M. - Visit the Palais de Tokyo, a veritable Mecca for contemporary photography exhibits, and the Cinema Museum right next door.
    P.M. -Visit the great park at Bois de Boulogne,
    
    
19. Sat 7/24
    Personal critiques. Free day
    
    
20. Sun 7/25
    Personal critiques. Last day in Paris. Packing. Free day.
    
    
21. Mon 7/26
    A.M.-Transport to Airport for return flight to USA. Cross International Time Zones and arrive home the same day.