Louvre is the biggest museum of the world, with a surface area close to 7 Soccer fields... We maximize quickly World cup with it! However, players should be very skillful ... I am thinking of the beautiful display cases of Art Objects Department or even of the sculptursin Caryatids Room... We wouldn't see Venus de Milo's head rolling on the ground...
So, we mentioned 782913 Squarefeet that 10,2 millions of visitors crossed, with agility, in 2018… But what did they come to see? Mona Lisa? Charlemagne's sword? The scribe? Michelangelo's slaves? Be aware that a great event had quaked the 35000 masterpieces exhibited of the 620 694 total ones assigned in Louvre in 2018: Beyoncé and Jay Z, the Carters shoot their music video: " Apeshit" ! More than 18 millions of views and presto 25% more of visitors in the museum!
Destination: Carters' Music Video in Louvre, Apeshit !
We could translate this slang word by : “ going crazy”. This expression poo (shit) of monkey ( ape): would apparently come from the fact that monkeys throw their excrement to new comers... to communicate, of anger or of panic...? Scientists know only that proves the intelligence of monkeys... Anyway, " Apeshit" means "go mental", " go crazy", " crack up" , " lose one's temper" ! ( Regrettably, we have not been throwing our excrements for 7 millions years! Well, usually...)
Let's discover our celebrities:
Beyoncé has creole, ameridian, african and french roots: One of her ancestors is the famous Beausoleil (Joseph Broussard)! This Acadian people leader is a legend of bravery and courage in Louisiana and Acadia.
Jay Z was raised with his two brothers and his sister by his mother in Brooklyn. His past is less happy : a preacher man grand-father who abused his daughter, an uncle starbed in the street and a father who wanted to revenge his brother and who left his family to take refuge in drug and alcohol when Jay Z was only 11... But the artist managed to get over all those suffering by half accepting them half forgiving them or just leaving them behind.
Like you see, a blasting couple that seems to be in perfect unison, maried since April, 4th 2008, they have 3 kids... And that wouldn't make sense if they don't try for another one, as 4 is a very important number to them: both born on a 4th, their girl Blue IVy (subtil isn't it?), Record “ 4 “ by Beyoncé and the song 4:44 of Jay Z, their tattoo on their left ring finger ( IV)...
They love each other for good! And they also love Paris where they almost bought a pied à terre to eventually prefer a night sometimes up to 20 000€ in the most prestigious parisian hotels (Shangri-La, le Meurice, Royal Monceau, etc…).
What would be more logical than Louvre to " go crazy"? It's ok, this craziness is not that mad, let's say it is a Tangle one! Our both stars worked hard to accomplish what they became, even if they manage to surround themselves with the best important people and controled their business in a very clever way, they also have undeniable artsy qualities! We might like or dislike, music is a question of taste, but here this is also a question of History ! Our modern heros are heterogeneous, and they are keen on leaving their name to posterity...
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Louvre museum stay really quiet on this event, and still nowadays, only a Visit's trail following the masterpieces presented in the Video is offered. Despite that in 2018, the video increased of 25% the number of visitors with a duck face in front of Mona Lisa and sexy hips in front of Wing Victory of Samothrace ... Did Public got the message of this song?
I'm not about to peel the video, or this article would end like a real ninja analysis of 100 pages. I suggest to discover few major masterpieces of the museum through the performance to explain what they wanted to tell us.
they are sit in front of Mona Lisa, the museum number one, the one and only that most of visitors want to see… Beyond its incredible price that she represents: estimated over a billion, it is unmarketable, because highly protected since its robbery in 1911 by an italian who believed he did great to restitute to his country. This painting was actually offered to Francis Ist by the painter himself. This is Lisa Gherardini, wife of Del Giocondo, from an italian family that became modest, she didn't get a bombastic life... The only notable fact was being the model of the great Leonardo Da Vinci! No need to explain this is why it turned her to be the most famous woman of the world! The duo appears in front to remind us that they are same to her! Like her, they became icons, they're also worth a billion, and they symbolize beauty ( well, especially Beyoncé!), the appreciation of art... la reconnaissance de l’art… Furthermore, this is a way to enhance the master's work who spent many years to modify, to perfect it. They too, devote energy and time to their " masterpieces". When you look at the video, you will see Beyoncé showing a very similar enigmatic smile!
They are still in front of The Winged Victory of Samothrace, this sculpture found in 1863 on Samothrace island in Greece represents a nave bow on which is standing the body of a winged woman symbol of Victory : Nike in greek ( you recognize for sure the famous brand ‘Nike’ which used its wing as logo!) .
This outstanding piece of art because of such a delicacy of realisation: a drapery finely sculpted reveal the generous shape of the divinity! The artists wear white cloth to fade in the background. They clame their victory which happened, came hell or high water!
Sphinx of Tanis, this enormous granit block old of more than 5000 years personify the sovereign power, this is also the gardian who watch over the rest, located at the entrance of necropoleis. The word " Sphinx" means "strangle, dissimulate", egyptians called it " the alive statue" and arabs " father of Terror"! A streched-out lion with the Pharaoh's head, easily identifiable by the royal headdress. Lion is also the incarnation of the God: Ra. Our two starlets are stationary like the Sphinx, as an eternal symbol, such as protective gardians of their ancestors and such as very powerful people, equal to Pharaohs or other historical figures. They are symbols of an african past and of a return to the Pharaonic Glorious Times. Even though, they are not political at first sight, we understand by this that they believe to be that important, to bring more weight to their messages.
Because, this is such obvious that they mean to be involve in political reflections. When they show us The Oath of the Horatii, we understand that they are ready to the fight until the end, to save honnor of their ancestors, or when appears David's painting the coronation of Napoleon, in fact more about Joséphine's, or the majestic Raft of the Medusa by Géricault, we get the idea... What about Blacks in History? They have been for too long, the object of slavery, and today, although it has been abolished, they are still the victims of retrograde and unacceptable speeches and acts.
The "feminist" fight of Beyoncé, and the pair's struggle for Afro-americans recognition and respect are really visible in the music video. A witty selection collected in the heart of Europa, in the biggest museum of the world: Louvre, that they like so much. Paris is famous to have been the Edorado of Black Americans in the 50's, at time of Segregation on the other side of the Atlantic. Follow me in Père Lachaise Cemetery , I will take you to Richard Wright's niche. No! Not the Pink Floyd's pianist, I am talking about the Afro American writter who, despite of a success in USA, prefered to fly away and to come and settle here in Paris. He rubbed shoulders with Simone de Beauvoir, Sartre, Camus and all the parisian top names! First black who wrote a best-seller, he became also famous because of his fight for decolonization and against segregation in United States. His statements about Willie Mc Gee made him entering the Honnor Comity of L.I.C.R.A.*
Vénus de Milo, who better be called " Aphrodite" 'cause found in Greece, appears in the video too!
This statue is not more or less impressive than any other statues exhibited in the museum. We know barely her and hold only a few information mostly hypothesis about her. So why such a passion for her? Merely, thanks to media coverage of XIXth century in a purpose to attract curious and give more prestige to the Louvre! Nothing more... After all, she is the divinity of Beauty and feminity...
As soon as I was finishing this article, Beyoncé and her daughter are announced as "becoming History"! Beyoncé receved her 28th Trophy turning her into the most rewarded Female artist in history. And her daughter, Blue Ivy, became the 2nd youngest ever rewarded of Grammy's. Those words chosen by medias: " History", " the most", reinforced the idea I had of the Carters! Their name, for sure, will stay such as a Napoleon or a Mona Lisa... The esthetic and commitment of their videos will become models of Tolerance, representing a community that suffers still too many unfairness.
They hope to change mentalities and to destroy barriers existing in between genders and skin colours. So, we do... Let's hope their messages will be well assimilated and that the new generation would understand what is the correct battle...
"Brown Skin Girl your skin just like pearls…" *
* L.I.C.R.A. International League Against Racism and Antisemitism (since 1927)
* lyrics of the new song of Beyoncé