The Paris Effect
  • Welcome
  • Blog
  • Press

Rodin! Rodin!

10/22/2014

0 Comments

 
Picture
Who can forget the moment when Isabelle Adjani
(playing the title role of Rodin's exploited student-lover in "Camille Claudel")
 dramatically implores, "Rodin! R-r-r-rodin!"
-- rolling her r's and creating movie history.

Years later, Woody Allen set the scene for "Midnight in Paris",
casting former first lady Carla Bruni as a tour guide in Rodin's Garden.
She smoothly corrected know-it-all Paul's misguided take on Rodin's love life.

The cinema seemingly loves a dramatic telling of artistic agony and ecstasy.
  And why not? 
These creative types are more interesting than the average Joe & Jane.

Sculptor Auguste Rodin has always been misunderstood -- mostly
admired but occasionally condemned, in both life and art.

For me, it was love at first sight.
From the moment I stole my first look, his masterstroke,
The Burghers of Calais, swept me off my feet.


I'm always amazed when people tell me they've been to Paris
but, no, they just didn't have time to visit this classic museum. 
That's like eating an ice cream cone without the ice cream.

Please, don't leave the best parts of Paris behind.

Here are just a few reasons to propel Musée Rodin to
the top of your must-see agenda of Paris attractions:

  You'll recognize some of the art.
      Thank goodness, Mona Lisa isn't the only piece of art in Paris 
that will ring a bell in your memory bank.
  Everyone knows The Thinker dude.
  As travelers, we like to believe we're at least somewhat cultured
so it's nice to flash on art that's unmistakably familiar,
even if it is something you first saw watching Dobie Gillis back in the 60's.

   Buy 1 --- Get 2 Free
  At the Musée Rodin, (1) you'll get a lesson in art appreciation --- mixed media 
that shows off sculpture, paintings and photographs;
 As a bonus, (2) you'll be treated to an amazing example of French architecture
in a gorgeous 18th century manor with the sexy name -- Hôtel Biron;
 And the frosting on the cake: (3) You'll get a chance to catch a fresh breath
as you wander the sprawling garden in the middle of the city -- roses included. 
Art, architecture, peace and fresh air.  What a deal!

  Location, Location, Location
     You're dead center in the middle of one of Paris' most
unabashedly beautiful neighborhoods. 
Bring extra (camera) batteries. 
Let's see -- you're minutes away from Les Invalides, the Pont Alexandre III,
and some of the best shopping and eating around ---
including three Christian Constant restaurants.

What's not to like?

Picture
Many of Rodin's best masterpieces reside in the garden.
  My personal favorite lives here.
The moment I saw them, I was smitten:
The Burghers of Calais

  The piece portrays six well-to-do political leaders as they're marched off
to meet their maker, condemned to death by King Edward III of England in 1347.
  The king sought retribution, snatching the lives of the  city's top brass
in exchange for saving their vanquished, crippled city
during the One Hundred Years War.
 
  It's a raw work of art, evoking an immediate feeling that conjures up war,
suffering and pain as we contemplate these men, grimly succumbing to fate. 

Rodin marched to the beat of his own personal drummer.
  When the city of Calais commissioned him to create a bronze of their hero,
Eustache de Saint-Reve (head honcho of the condemned city councilmen),
he bucked the request and paid homage to all six humbled heroes.
  The city was not amused, especially since it took many long years to
complete the work, over-budget and overdue.
  They wanted a glorified, god-like monument that was typical of its day,
a monument to a great man, perched, in traditional manner, on a pedestal .

It turns out they didn't get what they paid for -- thank goodness.
When you examine the anguished faces and body language of the six men,
  barefoot and ragged, marked for sure death, it will stop you in your tracks.
  The ravages of war are seen in their gaunt, starved faces.
Yet Rodin somehow captured a different emotion on each individual's face --
rage, fear, surprise, despair, denial, shock, bitterness -- 
it's all there, just like you would expect in real life.

He positioned his sculpture so the public would stand at eye level
with the men, able to look into the eyes of horror and madness.

It makes me recall the words of a beloved
Steve Winwood song,
"Higher Love"

"Worlds are turning and we're just hanging on
Facing our fear and standing out there alone
A yearning, and it's real to me
There must be someone who's feeling for me
Things look so bad everywhere
In this world, what is fair."

The legend of the Burghers of Calais resolved itself thanks to the
intervention of the king's sympathetic wife, Queen Philippa.
She begged her spiteful husband to liberate the men,
saving their lives and their dignity. 
They returned to Calais as heroes, having bravely
bargained their lives to save the city.


What a party that must have been. 
  My only wish is that Rodin would have captured
those very different emotions in a followup sculpture so
we'd have a second feast in the museum garden --
elation, joy and yippie ki-yay alongside the pathos of the original.



And for that fantasized work, I'd tag another Steve Winwood song,
"Back in the High Life Again."

"And I'll drink and dance with one hand free
Let the world back into me,
And oh I'll be a sight to see
Back in the High Life again"

Picture
Rodin's Gates of Hell is also justifiably famous. 
It captures a chapter straight out of Dante's Inferno, composed of
some 180 figurines -- truly jaw-dropping.

Once you're inside the mansion, it won't take you long to find
The Kiss,
  much favored, too, as you'll see by the admirers surrounding it.

  Seductive, ravishing, provocative -- this marbled portrayal of passion
is a lover's nightmare of the best of times and the worst of times.
It's yet another reference to Dante's Divine Comedy, capturing the erotic moment
 that set the table for death and eternal condemnation in hell.
  Rodin's lovers surely inspired the fire out of him, illicit or not.

Camille Claudel's works are front and center, too, as well as the
personal collection of Rodin -- a bonus -- paintings from Van Gogh, Renoir
and Monet adorn the walls, enhancing your exhilarating experience.

Picture
Hot & Heavy -- then damned to hell
Auguste Rodin was a late learner. 
He didn't achieve great success until well into his midlife,
  having spent nearly twenty years as an ornamental sculptor & decorative bricklayer.

  On a trip to Italy, he uncovered his genius after seeing
Michelangelo's sculptures for the first time.

When he returned to France, he developed his skills, honing both his craft
as well as his finance and marketing brain, collaborating
with others to build a solid business.
  He was one heck of a salesman, convincing his partners
to change the way sculpture was cast and merchandised.

Picture
The Gates of Hell are a startling reminder of Dante's Inferno
Take some time to discover the ornamental garden behind the mansion.
  You'll discover hundreds of flowers, ornamental bushes and delights
along with even more art -- including The Marble Gallery -- as you
wind down and enjoy your surroundings.

  Follow the path across the wide lawn as it leads to a large
ornamental pool, continuing on to an ivy covered trellis and even more green.

The perfect place to take a time-out in Paris.

Picture
The Hotel Biron, built in 1732, perfectly captures the time and spirit of the day
Picture
It's a treat to see an artist's work-in-progress
Picture
Rodin often concentrated on capturing the essence of the human hand and foot, usually exaggerating its presence
Picture
Rodin's portrayal of Balzac also upset his critics
On your next trip to Paris, please make Musée Rodin one of your first stops. 
You'll be so glad.

And just like me, as you immerse yourself in the pleasures of Paris,
you, too, will discover what's best about life, love and art.

Reward yourself.
You'll be back in the High Life again.
Picture
Walking the plank in Rodin's day
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    AUTHOR
    MICHELLE MOGGIO

    Thanks for visiting  my blog!

    I've been experiencing the joys of Paris since the ripe old age of eleven.
    As a big fan of duck fat, raw oysters and bad French movies, my long career in advertising helped pave the way for drinking at lunch. When not living la vie en rose, my husband Gary and I live in Brentwood, TN, where we stay busy planning our next travel adventure and offering unsolicited advice to our daughter.

    Archives

    January 2022
    November 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014


    RSS Feed

    Click below to buy
    The Paris Effect 
    book today
    Enter your email address to receive blog updates -
    Subscribe Now
    Buy Now

    Categories

    All
    100th Blog
    20th Arrondissement
    Abbaye De Fontfroide
    Absinthe
    Academie De La Grande Chaumière
    Adrian Leeds
    Aix-en-Provence
    Albi
    Aligot
    Alsace
    Ambassade D'Auvergne
    Amboise
    American History
    American Revolution
    Amphitheatre
    Antibes
    Apartments
    Aperitif
    April In Paris
    Arc De Triomphe Du Carrousel
    Architecture
    Arena De Nimes
    Ariége
    Armenian Cathedral Of Paris
    Art
    Art Deco
    Artistic Paris
    Artlover
    Art Museum
    Art Nouveau
    Atonement Chapel
    Auray
    Avenue Foch
    Avenue Frochot
    Avignon
    Baccarat
    Baden-Baden
    Baguette
    Basque
    Bastide Village
    Bayeux Tapestry
    B&B
    Benjamin Franklin
    Bénodet
    Bercy Village
    Biarritz
    Biot
    Biot France
    Bistros
    Bois De Vincennes
    Bonbons
    Books Set In France
    Boulangerie
    Brassaï
    Brittany
    Brittany American Cemetery
    Burgundy
    Cagnes-sur-Mer
    Cakes
    Canal Du Midi
    Candy
    Cap D'Antibes
    Caracalla Spa
    Caramels
    Catalan France
    Cathars
    Cathedral
    Cathedrale St-Just
    Cemetière De Passy
    Cemetière Saint-Vincent
    Chantilly
    Chapelle Expiatoire
    Chapelle Saint Vincent De Paul
    #Chapel Of Hospice Saint-Jean
    Charles Aznavour
    Charles Trenet
    Chartreuse Du Val-de-Benediction
    Chateau
    Chateau De Clisson
    Chateau De Foix
    Chateau De Fougeres
    Chateau De Malmaison
    Chateau De Vincennes
    Chateau Grimaldi
    Cheese
    Chinon
    Chocolate
    Choice Vs. Chance
    Christian Constant
    #Church Of Saint-Volusien
    Cimiez
    Cité Des Fleurs
    Cité De Trevise
    Claude Monet
    Clisson
    Cocktail
    Coco Chanel
    Cognac
    Cointreau
    Cole Porter
    Comedie-Francaise
    Cote D'Azur
    Coulon
    Cours Mirabeau
    Cours Saleya
    Coussin De Lyon
    Covid
    Crêpes
    Dessert
    Deyrolle
    Dijon
    Dreams
    Duck-confit
    Eating In France
    Ecole Des Beaux-Arts
    Ed Clark
    Edith-piaf
    Eglise Notre Dame De Clisson
    Eglise Sainte-Trinité
    Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Prés
    Elsa Maxwell
    Entrevaux
    Environmental Challenges
    Eric Kayser
    Espace Dali
    Eugene Delacroix
    Fabergé Museum
    Falling For Paris
    Famous-faces
    Fashion History
    Fauchon
    Fernand Léger
    Fete De La Transhumance
    Fête De Vendanges
    Fete Du Mer
    Fish Specialties
    Foix
    Folies Bergère
    Fontainebleau
    Fontaine Du Palmier
    Food Markets
    Fougeres
    Fragrance
    France
    Francois-premier
    Free Museums
    French Atlantic Coast
    French Bread
    French Cuisine
    French Food
    French History
    French-islands
    French Musee D'Art Moderne De La Ville De Paris
    French Music
    French Resistence
    French Revolution
    #FrenchRiviera
    French Riviera
    French Slave Trade
    Friedrichsbad Spa
    Fun Fair Museum
    Genevieve De Gaulle-Anthonioz
    Genièvre
    George Sand
    Germaine Tillion
    Germany
    Gertrude Stein
    Gordes
    Grand Mosque Of Paris
    Grand Palais
    Grasse
    Guerande Peninsula
    Guerlain
    Gustave Moreau
    Harvest Festival
    Hassan Hajjaj
    Haut-de-Cagnes
    Healthy Travel
    Hediard
    Henri Le Roux
    Henri Matisse
    Holocaust
    Hometown Memories
    Hotel Belles Rives
    Hôtel De Soubise
    Hotel Dieu
    Hotels
    Ile De Bréhat
    Ile De Ré
    Isadora Duncan
    Janet Flanner
    Jardin Samuel-de-Champlain
    Jay Z
    Jazz A Juan
    Jean Seberg
    Jewelry
    Josephine Baker
    Josephine Bonaparte
    Juan-les-Pins
    Keith Haring
    La Campagne A Paris
    La Couveroitade
    Lafayette
    La Jourrnée San Voiture
    Lalique
    Languedoc
    La Rochelle
    La Verrerie De Biot
    Lavinia Wine Store
    Le Bonbon Au Palais
    Le Bon Georges
    Le Capitole
    Le Carrousel Des Mondes Marins
    Le Clos Lucé
    Le Cochon à L'Oreille
    Le Coq Rico
    Le Croisic
    Legendary Lovers
    Le Grand Véfour
    Le Musée Art Du Chocolat
    Le Musée Montmartre
    Leonardo Da Vinci
    Le Rostand
    Les Cocottes
    Les Fauves
    Les Invalides
    Les Machines De L'Ile
    Les Sept Iles
    Lichtentaler Allee
    Lille
    Lisle-sur-Tarn
    Little Gourmand
    LoireAtlantique
    Loire Atlantique
    Luberon
    Luxembourg Gardens
    Maison Carrée
    Maison Européenne De La Photographie
    Malmaison
    Man Ray
    Marais Poitevin
    Marc Chagall
    Marché Beauvau
    Marché D'Aligre
    Marché President Wilson
    Marché Victor Hugo
    Marie Curie
    Market Street
    Marquis De Lafayette
    Matisse
    Maurice Utrillo
    Medieval Festival
    Medieval France
    Memorial De L'Abolition De L'Esclavage
    Memorial De La Shoah
    MEP
    MFK Fisher
    Minervois Wine
    #ModernArt
    Monolithic Church
    Montmartre
    Montmartre Museum
    Montparnasse
    Montparnasse Cemetery
    Montpellier
    Movies Set In France
    Musee Carnavalet
    Musée De La Chasse Et De La Nature
    Musée De La Vie Romantique
    Musée Des Arts Decoritifs
    Musée Des Arts Forains
    Musée Des Beaux-Arts De Dijon
    Musee D'Orsay
    Musée D'Orsay
    Musee L'Orangerie
    Musée Marc Chagall
    Musee Marmottan Monet
    Musée Matisse Nice
    Musée Picasso
    Musée Yves Saint Laurent
    Museum
    Museum Of Decorative Arts
    Museum Of Hunting & Nature
    Museum Of Modern Art City Of Paris
    Nancy
    Nantes
    Napoleon Bonaparte
    Napoleon III Apartments
    Narbonne
    Nashville
    Natalie Portman
    Nazi Atrocities
    Nice
    Nice France
    Nimes
    Normandy
    Not-far-from-paris
    Not-far-from-paris
    Notre Dame De Lorette
    Notre Dame De Paris
    Occitanie
    #Occitanie
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Off-the-tourist-track
    Opera-garnier
    Operation Dragoon
    Oradoursurglane
    Our Lady Of Paris
    Palais Lascaris
    Palais Royal
    Paloma Beach
    Pancake
    Pancake Pantry
    Pandemic Blues
    Parade
    Parc De Bercy
    Parc Floral
    Paris
    Paris 1968
    Paris Arrondissements
    Paris Art Museum
    Paris Art Schools
    Paris At Home
    Paris Cafes
    Paris Dreams
    Paris Fashion
    Paris Friend
    Paris Markets
    Paris Metro
    Paris Neighborhoods
    Paris Parks
    Paris Patisseries
    Paris Pets
    Paris Predestination
    Paris Retail Therapy
    Paris Travel
    Parks
    Passage Boudin
    Passerelle Simone De Beauvoir
    Pastis
    Patisserie
    Patricia Wells
    Paul Cezanne
    Perfume
    Pernes-les-Fontaines
    Pet Cemeteries
    Petit Palais
    Photography
    Picpus Cemetery
    Pinching Pennies
    Pink Granite Coast
    Place De Furstenberg
    Place De La Concorde
    Place Des Vosges
    Place Masséna
    Place Stanislaus
    Place Vendome
    Ploumanac'h
    Poilane
    Ponr Alexandre III
    Poster Art
    Promenade Des Anglais
    Provence
    #Provence
    Provence Markets
    Puffins
    Pyrenees-Orientales
    Rambouillet
    Raoul Dufy
    Regional Cooking
    Rennes
    Renoir
    Robert Doisneau
    Robert Wuhl
    Roquefort
    Rue Cler
    Rue Cremieux
    Rue De L'Eole Du Medecine
    Rue De Nil
    Rue Dénoyez
    Rue Des Ecoles
    Rue Des Martyrs
    Rue Irenee Blanc
    Rue Jules Siegfried
    Ruelle Des Chats
    Rue Montorgeuil
    Ruth
    Saintdenis
    Saint-Emilion
    Saint-Emilion Grand Cru
    Saint-Etienne-du-Mont
    Sainteustache
    Saint-Goustan
    Saint-Guilhem-le-Desert
    Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat
    Saint-Malo
    Saint-Medard Church
    Saint-Paul-de-Mausole
    Saint-Remy-de-Provence
    Saint-Vincent Cemetery
    Salvadore Dali
    Sculpture
    Senlis
    Serendipity
    Shopping
    Sliceoflife
    Slice Of Life
    Small Paris Pleasures
    Small Town Saturday Night
    Social Media
    So-Pi
    Springtime In Paris
    Square Des Peupliers
    Square Montsouris
    St Nicholas Russian Orthodox Cathedral
    Street Food
    Surrealism
    Suzanne Valadon
    Suzy Solidor
    Sylvia Beach
    Taxidermy
    Texas
    The Avignon Papacy
    The-dreyfus-affair
    The Hunchback Of Notre Dame
    The Louvre
    The Moose
    The National Archives
    The Pantheon
    The-paris-effect
    The Pink City
    Toulouse
    Toulouse-Lautrec
    Tourrettes-sur-Loup
    Travel
    Travel Advice
    Travel Planning
    Trentemoult
    Troyes
    U.N. World Climate Conference
    Urban Art
    Uzès
    Vacation
    Vacation Planning Food
    Vel D'Hiver
    Vichy
    Vieille Bourse
    Vieux Nice
    Villa Eilenroc
    Villefranche-de-Conflent
    Villeneuve-les-Avignon
    Vincent Van Gogh
    Walking
    Walking Paris
    Willi Ronis
    Wine
    Wine Festival
    WWII
    #WWII France
    WWII Paris
    WWII Provence
    Yachts
    Yves Saint Laurent

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.