The man of the hour! Auguste Rodin (1840-1917)
Truly a remarkable sculptor and a remarkable museum and well worth the visit. It was lovely. We were not able to go into the Hotel Biron as it was under renovation, but they had the works on display in a temporary exhibit so we still got to see everything. I would LOVE to go back and be able to view the pieces and the prototypes and sketches in the hotel as Rodin intended. The hotel itself is a gorgeous setting and it is clear to me that Rodin, like Monet, recognized that their works could be presented in a way that one can enjoy the peace of the surroundings along with the works of art and that it would only add to the experience of the viewer.
We were able to stroll the gardens and view the sculptures and that was lovely - even in February! Again though, I would love to go back in Spring or Summer to stroll around Paris and this garden in particular. it would be tres jolie!
Below is the hotel that we could only walk around. I have seen pictures of it lit up online, and it would be a fabulous place to see in person.
The Burghers of Calais. (1889)
In 1884 the City of Calais commissioned a monument commemorating an incident of the Hundred Years' War (1337-1453). Six dignitaries sacrificed themselves for their fellow citizens by surrendering to the King of England in 1347, in return for the King to have mercy on the rest of the townspeople. At the time, they believed they would be executed, but their lives were spared by the intervention of the Queen, Philippa of Hainault, who persuaded King Edward III that their deaths would be a bad omen for her unborn child. They wore the tunics of condemned prisoners and nooses around their necks and carried the keys to the city and castle. They are "the image of misery and sacrifice." Rodin did a marvelous job. There was some controversy over it (as with almost all of his artistic vision) because people thought the men did not appear heroic as there were no allegorical figures, they were not on a pedestal, and they were not arranged in pyramid or other heroic pattern. But Rodin felt that by displaying pain, anguish, and fatalism, and keeping them at ground level, that they showed clearly the heroism of self-sacrifice.
The younger looking statue in the back, with the long hair and no beard, is on display in front of the University of Iowa College of Law Boyd Law Building. When it was first installed, there was a caption contest. Because he had both his arms out like he was asking a question, we joked that his caption should be like "what page are we on?" or "were we supposed to read that case?" Now, seeing them all together and the anguish presented more clearly in the combination of figures, it really isn't so funny... A testament to Rodin, actually, and his ability to extract such raw human emotion in his sculptures. I actually wanted to hug them, tell them everything would be okay. It really is rather awesome when you focus on the story and the heroics of ordinary people.
Okay, I probably shouldn't be so joyously taking the Key to the City away from him...Especially when he looks so sad...
The hotel from the back. You can see it is under extensive renovation. This also gives you some perspective of the size of the gardens, from this point you are only seeing about one quarter of the gardens!
Below is his monument to Victor Hugo, done about 1900. He originally did this piece for the Pantheon, but it was rejected so he did a different, standing sculpture of the poet for the Pantheon instead.
Below are Les Hombres/The Three Shades (1902-1904). They stand before the entrance to Hell in Dante's Divine Comedy, pointing to an inscription "Abandon hope, all ye who enter here." This stands in the garden a short distance in front of the Gates of Hell. There is a smaller version of them on top of the Gates as well.
I can't find what this one is called, but it is one of my favorites...
Eve:
Adam:
The one below is called Meditation.
Below is a large version of Ugolino - a smaller depiction is on the Gates.
Below is a monument to the painter Claude Lorrain (1892). Steve is imitating his expression!
And of course, The Thinker (1903) Created in 1880 for The Gates of Hell, the figure represents Dante and also Hades or the creator leaning over his work.
The date after the title is the date this particular bronze was cast. Apparently under French law, only 12 casts of each size can be made of Rodin's original molds/models, and the date of the cast must appear with the sculpture. Quality control to be sure!
I loved this museum. The works are wonderful and the process that goes into the creation of the sculptures is amazing. In fact, Rodin worked so hard to understand the human form and it's motion and created such life-like sculptures that when he showed The Age of Bronze, a life-size nude, he was accused of making the cast directly from a live model! He also refused to create statues with just formal or heroic poses, preferring instead to present the human form in relaxed, natural poses. It was truly a l earning experience and honestly, you come away feeling such a strong connection with humanity and with the beauty of the human form. Well worth the visit.
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