Travel Tips

FInally, it's been my sixth visit to Paris and I just had to accomplish seeing both the Musee d' Orsay and the Musee Rodin! This I made sure to do on January 2, 2005 which also was the first Sunday of the month and both museums were free! What luck and what beautiful weather that I could take photos in Rodin's garden of Le Penseur.

The beautiful Orsay museum with its display of Impressionist paintings and impressive sculptures is a must-see! Also there are new exhibits all the time. When I visited there was an Alfred Stigelitz display.

A sample of the sculptures in the Orsay museum

More sculptures on display on the main floor of the Orsay museum.

Who has not seen photos of 'Le Penseur' or 'The Thinker'? It's awesome to see it in person however. The sculpture is located in a quiet corner of Rodin's garden. There is a bench right across from "The Thinker" and you can sit there and ponder the meaning behind this work of art.

Another famous sculpture by Rodin: The Kiss. Again to see this famous sculpture in person is wonderful.

Another famous, symbolic sculpture that is exciting to see in person. The two right hands, one each of a man and one of a woman-not interlocking-are represented in 'La Cathedrale'. It's one of my favorite sculptures as it's so simple yet so profound.

Camille Claudel, Rodin's former student who became his lover, was a talented sculptor in her own right. Here is her sculpture of Rodin's bust done in bronze.

Here is Rodin's 'The Convalescent'. It is Camille Claudel who is featured in the sculpture. She was always in his mind. Rodin fell in love with her when she was 18-his student and muse-but he left her to go back to his wife. In turn, Camille went mad and her future sculptures attest to this fact. She was institutionalized for the remainer of her life and died at age 79, and she was never allowed to sculpt during this confinement.

There is a French movie about Camille's life called simply "Camille Claudel" and it features Isabelle Adjani as Camille. Interestingly, Camille's brother is a famous writer, Paul Claudel. He is the person who knew his sister best and is the one who took care of her in her madness and told her story.