Thumbs Up in Paris

Well friends, you know I go to Paris sometimes. I take pictures as much as I can, to share with you, and also, just to remember.

A Different Place: La Defense is Not Like Old Paris

I was in a different area than usual this past week. La Defense. It’s new (comparatively) and glitzy (comparatively). I like the old Paris areas better.

My hotel was smack dab in the middle of a mall.

Stuff to Like, Even in the Modern Area

But. There’s stuff to like there. I don’t have to always be a snob. (Just most of the time.)

What’s to like? Well, Paris is Paris. Everything just looks so cool there, like these scooters.

And people walking amongst the impressive modern buildings.

Street Art!

And – my fave – street art, like this big thumb.

Here’s another angle.

Don’t you just love it? César, the artist, created multiple sculptures of his thumb, “Le Pouce,” and they can be found in various parks and museums around the world. He was “all thumbs!” (Sorry, I couldn’t help myself.)

This particular thumb statue, at 40 ft. tall, is his largest, and probably the most unusual juxtaposition – the worker / artist hand amidst the high-tech knowledge worker setting.

The Official Write-Up, a Plaque on the Ground

Here’s the plaque about the statue. The cigarette butts made me sad, but I left them in to keep it authentic.

Thumb
Polished, waxed and varnished bronze,
1990

Like an obelisk, this monumental enlargement of a mold of César’s thumb stands 12 meters high. It is the tallest of the sculptor’s Pouces since the first one created in 1965 which measured only 40 centimeters. Referred to as a New Realism in 1960, César is known for his work on common consumerist objects which he gathered, compressed and enlarged in a spirit similar to American Pop Art.

The Bottom Line

Paris is a diverse and constantly surprising landscape of compelling and thought-provoking scenes. I can’t be a snob, or I’ll miss something cool and memorable.

Haiku Time

Haiku: Thumbs Up

  ❖ gotta love Paris ❖ 
  ❖ yes, that’s a giant thumb ❖ 
  ❖ reaching for the sky ❖