Musee Rodin - Inspirational Sculptures and Pscyhe

The weather broke enough today to take the 10 minute Metro ride to the Musee Rodin.

It just so happens that there was an exhibit of the the antiquities of Rodin and Sigmund Freud named "Passion at Work" and included a numerous numbers of Greek and Roman statuettes that Freud carefully placed in view of patients of on his couch.  Rodin left over 6000 antiquities and Freud 3000.  

What's amazing is that both men (while never meeting) travelled in similar circle collecting "assemblages" of work that inspired each of them.  Freud discerned a type of psychoanalysis in archeology, unearthing the strata in the psyche to discover the treasures of the mind.  Rodin assembled and treated work almost as real flesh and he saw antiquity being "as his youth".

For Freud there was also the amazing back-story of Marie Bonaparte who introduced Freud's psychoanalytic research to Paris; and whom also paid a pricely ransom to the Nazi's to have Freud's antiquity collection spirited away to England.  

...That was just the exhibition....

Being surrounded with so much Rodin's work, left me with a palpable sense of his presence in every room.  The sensuality of sculpture in undeniable and I could sense the passion and the overwhelming effort it must have taken to create such a mass of work.

As you wander the garden you see the large more famous bronzes including The Gates of Hell which brought together so many of his works; and The Thinker, a work amongst the most famous in the world.  For those who know where my head is at nowadays, the Gates of Hell moved me deeply.

I captured "The Thinker" picture above from a window in the main museum.  While actually standing in front of it, there was a baby in a carriage who was wheeled in from of the statue who was completely enthralled of with it.  I desperately sought to find a position to capture both, but alas the angles were too extreme and the talking moms wandered off after a few minutes.  A Child pondering the Thinker - This image that I will have to capture one day. 

Christopher, will you join me for a walk in the Gardens?

Help - I need a Map!

Late Romantic or early Symbolist? Impressionists and Naturalists?

What I really needed before I started was a refresher of Art History.

I took this Sunday to visit Musée d'Orsay and begin my introduction to art in France. A train station magnificently transformed to house the French national collection of mid 19th to 20th century art ; by wandering from room to room you can sample some of the greatest impressionist works in a space more intimate than I've heard said of the Louvre.

A testament to Whistler's and all mothers everywhere, I found this picture I took interesting as it included a lady standing observing the painting with a similar profile and clasped hands. Could Whistler's mother be sharing maternal wisdom?

I bought a book "A fuller understanding of the paintings at Orsay" to help me better prepare for a return visit with family and friends. Courbet, Rodin, Monet, Picasso, Van Gogh, Gauguin and more await a return visit. Please join me.

Back to Paris

It's been a month since I last posted and in it I've spent two weeks in Paris, then returned to the US and now back to Paris for a week.

Paris has been unusually cold this December and Early January; but I didn't realize how much I missed the warmth until spending a week with the extended family on Carrie's side in Florida.

It was an (amazing) gift from Mom (Barbara Livermore) and Jill and it was clear that Christopher loved the warmth and attention as from Grandma, three Aunts, two Uncles and three cousins.

Thank you Mom.