A Solo Trip to Paris Part 5: I Fell in Love with Rodin

On my 4th full day in Paris the sun came out. After the previous days in museums, this Oregon outdoorsy woman wanted a long walk on the cold but sunny streets. As I studied my map at breakfast, I saw that I was not far from the Luxembourg Gardens. Seeing the biggest garden/park in Paris sounded like the perfect way to start the day.

I found I was not the only person in Paris ready to take in the sunshine. The park was full of like minded thinkers.  Many Parisians were taking advantage of the beautiful day.

Throughout the park are very comfortable, lightweight metal chairs for folks to sit and rearrange to one's liking. I decided to try one out and bask in the sun. I even pulled out my sketchbook to capture on paper this fellow across the path from me. I was saddened to think that if these chairs were in a park in the U.S. they'd disappear in a matter of days. 

The Luxembourg Gardens and Palace were built in the 1600's, and aside from some destruction during the French Revolution (later repaired) still stand as a place of beauty in the middle of Paris. 

After sketching and letting my mind wander, I took a look at my guidebook. I was not far from the Rodin Museum. Although this was not on my "must see" list I'd made in Blue River, I decided seeing 3 dimensional art would be a nice break from all the paintings from previous days I had swirling in my brain.

I had left the Saint-Germain district and entered the Latin Quarter. The streets were more spacious and buildings more modern. The store windows seemed more geared toward a younger, less touristy crowd. However, the street charm of Paris was still apparent.  

I was really struck with this window selling eye-glasses. Instead of using photographs of people wearing glasses, they had paintings in their window. I know many artists who would gladly create art for store windows in the U. S. 

I was now in the area of mansions, including the home of the Rodin Museum, the Hotel Biron built in the 1700s. Entering the grounds of the museum, I had a great view of the Dome Church.  And then . . .

the abundance of Rodin's statues throughout the seven acres of grounds surrounding the Museum. 

The Thinker

The sculpture of the poet Balzac below, was commissioned by a literary group, who immediately rejected it. They had expected a classical sculpture, not Balzac in his robe. Rodin spent 6 years creating this sculpture and considered it one of his best work. Rodin never saw it cast in bronze.

Balzac

The Burghers of Calais below tells the story from the Hundred Years War: six leaders of Calais volunteered to be executed if the city's population was spared. This is Rodin's interpretation of the story.

The Gates of Hell was another commissioned piece that Rodin worked on for many years. The museum that the doors were commissioned for never came to be, but The Thinker and The Kiss as well as other well known sculptures were ideas taken from the doors. This was finally cast in bronze by the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia after Rodin's death.

Gates of Hell

I spent a lot of time enjoying walking through the gardens and learning about the pieces via an audio guide. The audio guide was well worth the money.

And then there was so much more inside! 

I enjoyed learning more about this famous and successful artist. He went to work as an apprentice in a decorative art shop after being rejected from art school 3 times. His work was not quickly accepted in the Paris art scene because he departed from the classical sculptures, creating emotive pieces, often interlocking several figures in unusual ways. His subject did not have to be beautiful, as the piece below proves.

She Who Was the Helmet Maker’s Once-Beautiful Wife

He also collected some paintings by artists whose work he admired.

Renoir

Van Gough

Monet

I was quite taken by this elegant stair case, featuring a great painting by an artist I'd not heard of, John Lavery, an Irish painter.

Again I had another wonderful art filled day! It was time to find some food and a glass of wine. And, as always in Paris, there was a cafe nearby. What gentilhomme would not flirt with this jeune femme!

A Solo Trip to Paris, Part 4: I Left My Scarf at the Louvre

On my previous visit to Paris I found The Louvre overwhelming in both size and crowds. This time I knew I wanted to have a guide, if only so I could get oriented to later wander on my own. My hotel gave me a brochure for France Tourisme. They offer a 49 Euro ticket which includes entry fee (15 Euros) and a 2 hour tour. In comparison to other guided tours it is very reasonably priced. The one draw-back for some folks might be that you have to go to their office (rather than be picked up by a guide) but it is very near the museum.



Granted, I was in Paris on a rainy day in February and went to the Louvre on a weekday morning, but I was pleasantly surprised to find myself one of three on the tour with an excellent guide. Of course, our guide wanted us to see the most famous art in the Louvre, so along with a good lesson in history she led us to those works I expected to see.

The Louvre Pyramid was designed by the architect I. M. Pei and completed in the late 1980's. 

Our guide started with the statues. I do not recall the history of the statue below, but where it resides is impressive.

Below is the all famous Venus de Milo. As the story goes, this Greek statue carved around 100 B.C was discovered by a peasant in 1820 on the island of Milos. She stands 6 feet 8 inches and is beautiful, missing arms and all.

Venus de Milo

The Winged Victory of Samothrace, below, was found in 1863. Dating back to the 2 century B.C., she stands 8 feet tall. It was created not only to honor the goddess, Nike, but also to honor a sea battle. The statue conveys an impressive amount of movement.

The Winged Victory

Next we entered the museum wing that houses the majority of Italian, French, and Spanish paintings.

When I looked up, I was reminded that this was a royal residence for 700 years. Starting as a fortress, it continued to be added to and adorned by one king after another, until the court was moved to Versailles by Louis the XIV. After that, the palace was pretty much ignored by the royals. Napoleon III had the structures connected and turned one wing of the museum into his private apartments. From the time of the French Revolution until 1870, this was the residence of the French heads of state. 

So on to the paintings--our guide took us to the Mona Lisa. She said she would wait for any of us who wanted to make our way up to the painting. Would I? Well, I figured it is now or never. 

Can you see her up there?

I slowly started elbowing my way forward. How unlike me to push aside people, even children. But this was the only way to get up to the painting. I started thinking of those stories about people being trampled to death as a crowd leaves a soccer stadium. If I were to fall (which certainly could happen with all the pushing and shoving) I would be walked over, trampled, stompled! I was determined and once I started, I could not turn back. So here is the photo, less than perfectly focused due to jostling, but I was there. 

Our guide told us that part of the allure to the Mona Lisa was that she was once stolen right off the walls of the Louvre. Art lovers around the world became frantic. What had happened to her? Was she gone forever? Was she destroyed? Two years later, the painting was recovered and returned to the Louvre, but this created a mystique to this work that lives on. Oh yes, it is also a Da Vinci. 

So after the two hours with the guide, I was left to spend the rest of the day on my own. With over 10 miles of hallways in the largest museum in the world, I decided to focus on paintings. The museum holds many more exhibits including Egyptian, Roman, Greek, Etruscan and Islamic art, but my goal was to see as many paintings as possible. And so I did.

More Da Vinci

Luini

Serodine

A closeup of the hands in Serodine's painting of Jesus with the Doctors.


Girodet

Varonese 

This piece has quite a mixture of fashion over the centuries.

Vivarini

In the 1400's Vivarini painted in a Gothic style.

Leaving the Italians, I found French, English, and Spanish artist's work.

El Grecco

Jacque Louis David

This huge painting of Napoleon I Coronation has a duplicate at Notre Dame.

Gainsborough

Turner

Seeing a Turner in real life is a show-stopper!

Are you tired of looking? I was. Each time I saw an empty bench or a niche with a chair, I would sit and let my feet, eyes and brain rest for a few moments. 

To finish my day at the Louvre, I headed to another wing--the Napoleon Apartments which was on the opposite wing of the Museum.

How They Lived in Napoleon III Times

And finally I was ready to leave. I said goodbye to the stunning Botticelli frescos, 

and headed down to the cloak room. It was then that I discovered the loss of my red silk scarf I had bought in Vietnam. I very briefly thought of trekking back through the miles of museum I'd walked that day. No, my scarf could stay with Da Vinci.

I slowly headed back over the river to my hotel. I thought that this would most likely be my last visit to the most famous and largest museum in the world. As I looked over the Seine, I had a view of the one of the world's most famous structures, the Eiffel Tower. 

This night I would not seek out a restaurant on TripAdvisor, I would just walk across the street from my hotel to a small Thai restaurant.  I had plenty to think about as I ate my pad thai.