If tomorrow was your “last day,” what would you regret not doing?
I saw this painting and sharply sucked in my breath. Overwhelmed with emotion, I attempted to quickly blink away the tears threatening to stream down my face.
Internally, I was sobbing the minute I set eyes on this painting. I knew my precious grandmother would have loved to see this painting in person. And I wept for this and the moments we could have had together in Paris.
Rosemary passed away during the pandemic, never recovering from an accidental fall at home. Like watching the tide ebb away from her beloved shores of La Jolla, California, she slowly slipped away each day – until she was gone.
Towards the end of her life, Rose lamented very few things, but one she repeated to me often: that she should have visited Paris.
The reason I even had a YouTube channel was for my grandparents. I used to create little videos of my visits and moments that made me think of them. I enjoyed sharing my grandmother’s favorite artwork at the Musée d’Orsay. I grew up with a reproduction of Degas’ La Classe de Danse over the four-poster bed in her house. I would have done anything to see the look on her face as she witnessed the Renoirs and the Monets in person.
When I saw this painting at “Les Choses,” the newest exhibition at the Louvre museum, my heart filled with such a longing to see her again.
This is “Buirlande, fleurs, oiseaux et papillon,” attributed to the painter Juan de Arellano, Madrid, and painted between 1650 and 1670. Grandmother Rose would have loved the delicate details, the beautiful flowers, birds, and butterflies – all of her favorite things in this magnificent painting.
For now, if you want to experience this brand new show at the Louvre virtually, please visit the link in my bio or head over to my YouTube channel @ThisFrench.Life to watch a video I created just for you.
Wishing you health & happiness,
Shannon
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