The Trouble with Rodin

Rodin Museum

November 3: Auguste Rodin created the Impressionist version of sculpture: emotional, rough, quickly formed. He wasn't afraid to express the ugly side of his feeling such as with the Burghers of Calais or his many versions of Balzac.

So why wasn't I moved as much as I should have been by the Rodin Museum?

Overexposure.

The Thinker at the Norton Simon Museum

I'd seen most of his sculptures before. L.A. County? Balzacs. Norton Simon?  Burghers of Calais, Balzac again and The Thinker. Metropolitan Museum of Art? Burghers of Calais again, Gates of Hell.  Orsay Museum, The Gates of Hell again.

Burghers of Calais at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

He was the Henry Ford of bronzes -- mass-producing and selling all his work. While he certainly deserved to earn all he could from his art, and he did break out of the formal conventions of his era, how many times can one see the Burghers of Calais before saying "Enough!"

Gates of Hell at The Orsay Museum

Anthony enjoyed the museum more than I did, taking pictures of all the maquettes and versions of lovers and hands and women that Rodin sculpted. At least the plaster molds and trials were original.

Finally, some original sculptures at the Rodin Museum.

As for me, I'm glad the museum was a freebie courtesy of the Museum Pass. Otherwise, I would've been annoyed at having paid to see stuff I'd seen many times before.