A big day for the UCM crowd in Paris! BUT before I go on... in last night's post I was so delirious with exhaustion that I incorrectly identified Barbara as Beverly. My apologies.
The day began with a visit to the Rodin Museum. Rodin is the artist who gave us The Thinker. In the vein of cultural illiteracy one student asked if Rodin coined the phrase "I think therefore I am." After a chuckle, I can certainly see the connection! The Thinker was actually modeled after Dante Alighieri contemplating Hell. The Thinker can also be found on the Gates of Hell. We were all very impressed with the sensitivity of Rodin's sculptures.
Gates of Hell
Rodin House
The Thinker located on the Gates of Hell
this is my friend Sally thinking along with Mr. Alighieri
Rebecca is another Great Thinker
Meanwhile on the Champs Elysees the Hollande Inauguration was in full swing. We actually got to see a dignitary's motorcade go by as we were walking to the Rodin museum. The hotel concierge indicated that rain on inauguration day was a bad omen.
credit AFP Getty Images
credit Getty Images
From the Rodin Museum we went to Les Invalides (Church of the Golden Dome) to see the sarcophagus of Napoleon Bonaparte.
Evidence of the increased security and military presence for the inauguration.
Napoleon's little sarcophagus - Note the people in the ambulatory for a sense of scale.
Musee Marmottan Monet was the next visit on our list today. This museum is private and does not allow us to take pictures. There is a really nice virtual visit available on the internet where you too can experience this beautiful collection of Monet's late works and the Marmottan collection of Empire style furniture. http://www.marmottan.com/visite/ We were pleasantly surprised to find a comprehensive exhibit of Berthe Morisot.
I had a great conversation with Alex and Bobbye today about Claude Monet and his later works. We talked about the aging eye, the very creative and highly productive later years of Monet's painting career. We also talked about the different ways that the very new technology of photography influenced the artists in Monet's circle. Impressionism reflects the essence of a moment; the artists sought to portray the effect of changing light, motion and emotion.
A few more pix and then I am going to bed!
Ariel hamming it up for the camera.
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