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.

Day 2: Snowing in Paris!

As I've grown older I've become more aware of "signs" that God presents to me on occasion. Right now I'm sitting at my office desk admiring the large soft snowflakes drifting down onto the busy street below the office here in Levallois-Perret.

It's a lovely sight with the backdrop of the Seine behind; and even the fake white Christmas trees in the traffic circle seem a bit more lifelike as a result.

I've been quite lucky in my life and my health. A nice flurry of snow to cover the streets is another reminder to us all of gifts we are given.

Keith's Arrival Day!

Camembert cheese and a baguette. A fitting dinner for my first official night in Paris. I should have picked up a bottle of wine as well but I just forgot while at the store down the street. Dammit!

The flight from San Jose to Paris (routed through Dallas) wasn’t bad. I guess I’m getting used to these flights (9 hours from Dallas to Paris) or 4 glasses of Bordeaux and a shot of Whiskey after dinner really does help. I can’t remember and that’s a good thing.

I don’t chat too much with people on plane trips, but this flight was a little unique as there was a 20s-something lady sitting in the middle row that had about 30 people on the flight acknowledge her as they moved pass her down the aisle. Dying to figure out if she was a celebrity, the lady in the “A” seat finally leaned over me to ask Ms 20-something “are you someone important I should know”? It turns out that this was the daughter of the Ministry of Economics for Afghanistan – there was a large group of people going to Paris for a liberal Muslim religious convention and about 30-40 of the people on the plane had known her “since she was in diapers”. It’s a small world and although this lady was born and resided in Dallas all her life she did tell interesting stories.

Finally entering France “officially” consisted of a bored customs officer briefly scanning my passport and handing it back to me. When I pointed to my residence visa and asked him to stamp it (needed for residence), he looked a bit confused but eventually stamped it anyway. Five minutes to get my bags, ten minutes wait for a fifty Euro cab ride and “poof” I’m in Paris. It’s just too easy.

I’m currently staying at an “Apartment Hotel” near the Champs-Elysees. It’s a small studio with a tiny kitchen with really crappy tv reception, but for just one person it’s not too bad. I decided to go to the office for a few hours in the afternoon to get acquainted with everything, and it’s a relatively painless walk to the Metro and to the office in Levallois. 25 minutes door to door.

The highlight of my walk back from the Metro was the huge Grand Marnier distillery one block away from my hotel. There’s certainly a lot to be savored in Paris. Especially if I stop to pick up a bottle or two.