Sculptures et jardins

"Nothing is a waste of time if you experience it wisely." ~ Auguste Rodin 

Wow what can I say, I have been in Paris over a week now, I can't believe it! It is a mixed bag of feeling of the shock that I am over here at all, the feeling of where did the week go and the feeling that I have been here forever. I really do love it here, I know that I would like it here but I somehow feel apart of the city when I just walk quietly down a boulevard or rush to catch the next train. I can already feel myself becoming use to the French way and know that I will probably have more culture shock coming home than I did coming here, but we will see.  

Today started with an early metro meeting around 9:15 to catch I think three trains to go to the Musée Rodin. There are always so many train transfers to go anywhere in the city. This museum was almost strictly devoted to works of Auguste Rodin a French sculptor. He is the man who did "The Thinker" and "The Kiss". 

Before this trip I had not been much for sculptures and unfortunately I am still not. However I have grown a new appreciation for the detail, hard work and the art form in general. I think my own inability to ever sculpt anything that would turn out (I was the kid in elementary school who would have to take home one of the forgotten clay designs because mine always broke in the kiln). At the museum I kept trying to find a way to connect with the art work but found it very hard. Part of that may have also been because of the way Rodin did his work he caste it and often time it wasn't him who did the final work.

Even though I could not find a way to connect to the work I still found it beautiful. My favorite piece of his that I saw was the famous "Gates of Hell" which became his life's obsession and was never completed. The large caste that I have a picture of below was one that he never saw. He never saw it life size form. The fact that it was never completed and that he never saw it as large as we get to see it today is a bit haunting. A romantic notion that I have towards the gate is that maybe it will never be finished because the gates of Hell is still collecting and displaying the most fallen of God's creations. Rodin took a lot of inspiration for the gates from Dante's "Inferno" so if you have read any of that try and recall figures that might be displayed at the gates of Hell. 

Jusqu'à demain
Bisous- Janice

"The Gates of Hell" inspired 

by Dante's "Inferno"

Apparently this man was locked a way with his children as punishment in the thought that he wouldn't eat them, he did. 

"The Thinker" with the top 

of Napoleon's tomb