Travelogue: Paris

plus: a very special New Yorker feature

I went to Paris for 3.5 days and I walked a lot.

notice how it decreases

Due to the limitations of my physical body and the extreme length of lineups, I was only able to go to two Paris art galleries — the Louvre and the Musee d’Orsay — down from my initial plan of two galleries per day (hilariously ambitious in retrospect). EVEN SO, I am so grateful for this time, and what I saw was so inspiring. I want to do a trip where the only thing I do for an entire week is just loiter in galleries and remind myself that art has been a worthy endeavour since the beginning of time.

Here are a few of my gallery drawings!

Domenichino - The Ecstasy of St. Paul. This is my favourite one. Look at his face, you can hear him going "YEAHHHHHH"

Reni - Deianira Abducted by Nessus.

Armed Venus and Eros (Rome 2nd century AD). What a little guy

Reni - David with the Head of Goliath. I loved this because it has serious "I Am A Tinder Guy Holding A Fish And I Will Provide For You" energy (please google it)

Michelangelo - Captive/Dying Slave. Location note: "weirdly seductive." Reader, i was *shook*

Burnand - The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection. I found this painting so deeply moving even though I’m not even a little bit religious - I was stunned by the emotion, anticipation and urgency in their faces and postures. Their lives and their faith were tied to what they were about to see in the tomb and it shows!! Happy Easter everyone

I am just so happy about these exquisite spaces continuing to exist as little palaces for art.

Here’s the only proper photo I managed to get of myself:

Fernand Cormon - Cain. An illustration of a Victor Hugo poem about Cain trying and failing to flee from God’s curse after he murdered Abel. What a crazy nightmare canvas!!! his posture was modelled after Cro-Magnon men, who had just been discovered!

Here I am with everything I need to be happy in a museum!!! taken in one of the Louvre’s many selfie mirrors. TIP: eat BEFORE entering the museum lineup or you will be starving and dehydrated all day (i did not follow this tip)

I did a decent amount of people watching while eating meals.

And I managed to only do this one time.

it is okay, I had disinfecting wipes in my purse lol

This was my most memorable food:

Île flottante at La Fontaine de Mars - a big meringue (the lightest sponge cake you’ve ever had) floating on creme anglaise.

On my last evening, I went to Montmartre and pretended i was in Amelie.

this inspired a little bit of crying.

Can’t wait to be back to loiter in more galleries and speak better French.

MORE EXCITING NEWS

My first Sketchbook feature is in the PRINT edition of this week’s New Yorker (April 10, 2023)!!! It takes up an entire two page spread!!! You can read an online version here.

I bought all three copies I found in my terminal at Heathrow and my NAME is on the front flap!!!

The comic about a wedding custom that my Singaporean family follows called a “guo da li”(过大礼) - the groom delivers a bunch of highly specific gifts to the bride’s family, including an entire roast pig, historically as “payment” for the bride and also proof that he will be able to provide for her.

The first image was my original pitch - we stretched it out to two pages to make it less crowded. The final illustrations and speech bubbles were inked with my trusty Sailor Fude de Mannen pen and painted with watercolours - details and text boxes were added in Procreate. I also made *huge* last-minute digital edits to the middle of the second page after bolting awake in the middle of the night realizing I had formatted it all wrong.

I am still in disbelief but seeing my name on the front of the thing is objective proof that this is real and I am real, ha ha.

xo Zoe