Saturday, June 4, 2011

Arch de Triomphe and the Rodin


So far, one of my favorite excursions has been the trip to the Arch de Triomphe. This monument was one of the first ones that I could wrap my head around, spatially speaking. When I went to the top of the Eiffel tower, I felt a disconnect -- Sure, it was an amazing experience to see such an expansive view of the city, but I felt as though I appreciated the monument the FURTHER away it was. I could appreciate it's space inside the city, as well as its design and expansive size. I didn't feel this disconnect from the view at the top of the Arch de Triomphe. I think climbing the 244 stairs on the narrow spiral stair case made me more cognizant of just how massive this piece of architecture is. 


Not to mention that the sculptures on the piece are absolutely incredible. I love the emotion that spills out of all their expressions.


Here's a shot of some of the spiral staircase, and my feet. I felt a little queasy when I tried to take this. It was a long way down. 


The Rodin museum was rather striking, as well. I love how completely organic, yet overly exaggerated his figures are. This piece in particular caught my eye. Its expression and gesture both reminded me the figure seen on the Arc de Triomphe. Rodin's piece was also for a public monument, but was not chosen for the competition. 


Eerie. 


In an attempt to show just how exaggerated these works are, I tried my own hand at one of the poses (after seeing a man across the way try to do it). It wasn't as easy as it looked. 

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