Friday, August 31, 2007

Nice to be back home!


My loyal readers, I thought it was about time I showed you a photo of my house... Pretty cool, no? I know, it might look a little ostentatious to you, but I like it and, in fact, it's much cosier than what it looks! OK, OK, yes, it's not my house, it is the main building of the Augustus Rodin museum (yes, Rodin, again!). It was formerly the Hôtel Biron, built between 1728 and 1730 by Jean Aubert, the same architect who built the Chateau at Chantilly. Rodin agreed to leave all of his works to the French state in exchange for a building of its own. After finally agreeing through an act in Parliament, this building became the resting place for Rodin's work and was opened in 1919. And that will be my last photo on Rodin for while, I promise!

36 comments:

  1. Welcome back home, Eric! What did you think of FL? Eat any alligator?

    I went to the Rodin Museum in the 1980s, but I certainly don't remember anything as luscious as this! I do remember the bust of Mrs. Potter Palmer, the Chicago maven who championed the Impressionists and bought many paintings, which are now in the Art Institue here. Her husband owned The Palmer House, one of the grand hotels in Chicago.

    ReplyDelete
  2. No need to apologize for photos of Rodin works, and the gardens are lovely. Regarding Vicky Hugo's comments, the Chicago Art Institute has an absolutely fabulous Impressionist collection, including Seurat's Grand Jette (can't recall the full title), three or four of Monet's grainstacks (we have one here in Mpls.), some stunningly gorgeous Renoirs, and a few nice Manets.

    Glad you made it home.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Welcome back Eric.

    Don't mind seeing pictures related to Rodin. His work and Hôtel Biron are so beautiful, it's a pleasure!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, nice digs! By the way, that link to a US museum containing Rodin's work that you provided a couple of posts ago was out of this world.

    Welcome back, feet up and take it easy, next vacation is amost around the corner. Nice shot, too!

    ReplyDelete
  5. By the way, is that statue mooning us?!!! Oh, my!

    ReplyDelete
  6. welcome home! I think you may find that squatters have moved in while you were on holiday, no doubt attracted by the swimming pool.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Le Musée Rodin was one of the first wonders of Paris I discovered on moving here and it retains its magic. Your wide angle lens here works well. Nice buttock posturing too, by the looks of things... Did they have football in those days..? CHEEKY!

    ReplyDelete
  8. "By the way, is that statue mooning us?!!! Oh, my!"

    Mooning you, it is you! Wasn't this pose taken from the PDP picnic and what on earth is going on here???

    ReplyDelete
  9. It is indeed a different take (poetic no doubt)on the moon reflecting off the water.:-) Glad you had a safe trip.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I wonder if you can tell me what the name of this statue is in the Rodin:

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/fondofelves/27686410/in/set-626275/

    ReplyDelete
  11. Are you kidding, Eric? I could have sworn this was your home!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Are you talking to me, Anon 2:53?

    Why yes indeed, it *is* me on that photograph! I guess you found me out! That's right, every now and then, I moonlight as a statue in the middle of a pond in Paris so that bloggers from all over the world can take a good look at my _ss.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Tomate never loses his wit. Arse, indeed!! Eric, glad you are back where you belong. You're looking swell, Eric, I can tell Eric. You're still glowin' your still goin' strong.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Ahh you see Eric, even in Paris you have your own private beach.

    Johnny...watch out...as Tomate already pointed out to me long ago in the beginning of our "relationship"... TomatE is a "she" with an "E". ;-)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Eric, Welcome back! I have been reading your blog for awhile and never comment.

    BTW Great shot, it makes the garden appears grander than it is!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hmmm...the Rodin museum looks a lot like my house too.

    It looks like a lovely place to just stroll around.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Eric, I'm coming to Paris in November - can I stay at your humble abode? I'll take the room on the top right with the window open ;)

    Seriously though, I never wandered this far down into the gardens - what a gorgeous view back up to the museum (booty & all...)

    Glad you made it home safely!!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Something like this may not be your home, yet. But who knows what the future may bring? After all, you will certainly need someplace huge enough to entertain those various large contingents of fans and friends.

    ReplyDelete
  19. LOL! We can all dream Eric. Having been to the Chateau at Chantilly, I wouldn't mind "slumming it" and living there for a while either. :)

    ReplyDelete
  20. Native Detroiters have a soft spot for Rodin, as "The Thinker" sits ever thoughtful in a prominent place in front of the Detroit Institute of Arts.

    And yes, the perspective on the statue in the pond is very interesting!!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Hi. Today is a BlogDay 2007.I want invite you to this initiative.For more information check www.blogday.org


    Greetings from Poland.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Eric, I love your blog. I included you on my BlogDay 2007 post. :)

    ReplyDelete
  23. P.S. Nice photo of you Eric on the Sarasota Daily Photo site.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Janet, I believe the name of this sculpture is ´Ugolino´.
    I took a photo of it too and was curious about its name.

    ReplyDelete
  26. I love the rodin musuem and after visiting, he is now one of my favorite artists. i was amazed by his work and loved the grounds. your rodin pics take me back to paris. i cannot wait to visit again.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Bonjour Eric !

    Je souhaitais juste vous informer que je vous ai cite dans dans mon billet du jour pour BlogDay (http://www.blogday.org/fr.htm). Les regles stipulent que je dois prevenir les blogs cites, voila, c'est fait !

    ReplyDelete
  28. Glad you are back home safe, Eric.
    Like so many others, I cannot get enough of Rodin, so don't hold back, bring it on!

    Janet, if you are referring to this sculpture here on this post, then yes, Monica is correct, it is Ugolino (and his sons), and here is something about this sculpture:
    "Rodin goes at once to the depths of the whole tragedy. The youths have fallen to the ground, and Ugolino, seeing them so, and feeling the full terror of his situation, throws his own emaciated carcass down and crawls over the body of his offspring like a beast benumbed with rage and famine... The impression made by this being is so forcible that it seems more like the half-conscious response of an unburied corpse to the trumpet of the resurrection... It is the horror of the door" [Bartlett]

    But when I opened your referred link, I saw the photo of Rodin's "Call to Arms", or Fierce Angel as Flickr refers to it. And this is from when Rodin modelled Project for a Monument to the Defense of Paris in 1879 when a competition was held for a memorial to the defense of Paris during the Franco-Prussian War. In this sculpture, the Genius', or Spirit of War, wings push downward, beating the air, and the warrior, head thrown back, sinks slowly to the ground. This Angel, is screaming her fury and tries to awaken the warrior, who has fallen in battle to save Paris.

    Bon weekend a tous! Et pour les americains ici, have a great Labor Day weekend. Enjoy yourselves. Dance, as Jeff would suggest to you. Me, I'm off to the mountains to hike some more of the Appalachian trail.

    Loraine

    ReplyDelete
  29. Welcome back! Love this photo -- the Rodin Museum generally is a peaceful respite from the surrounding city, but you've captured it in an even more peaceful state than usual. Did the crowd just respectfully move behind your camera just for this shot?

    ReplyDelete
  30. The home seems fitting for Rodin's work.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Just a quicjk word - I'm exhausted because of the jet lag and all I want now is go to bed! Thnak you very much to all of those who picked up PDP for the blog day. I will check on your blogs and all the above coments - more in depth tomorrow.

    G'nite!

    ReplyDelete
  32. J'ai préféré le Jardin au musée en lui-même, dans laquelle les oeuvres sont médiocrement exposées !

    ReplyDelete