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It wasn't the journey from Jerusalem to Jericho but from London to Paris that I fell among thieves. The Eurostar train journey was a magnificent experience, and after switching to a suburban route, I was robbed. On emerging from the Underground Railway RER I had to negotiate the barrier and turnstile laden with baggage, when two young men kindly 'helped' me through whilst stealing my wallet. The incident set me thinking about predators and wrongdoers who waylay ordinary citizens and who use goodwill as a cloak for knavery. I mused that 'He who steals my purse steals trash...' and that I could use the incident, which could be remedied and the damage and inconvenience mollified, as a learning experience. Further, I conjectured what might become of the miserable and pathetic dross of humanity who make felony their profession and who die unrepentant. I had bought a 3-day pass in the city in order to visit the museums and art galleries, and of course, sampled other wonders including: a trip (after a two-hour queue) right to the top of the Eiffel Tower, and a re-visit in the evening as a floodlit example of marvellous engineering. a symphony concert, of Tchaikowsky, Shostakovitch and Borodin in La Sainte Chapelle next to the Conciergerie on L'isle de la Cité. the re-kindling of the flame at a ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe. many waterborne trips up and down the Seine on the 'Batobus'. visit to the roof of La Grande Arche in La Défense. Notre Dame de Paris, where I attended an early morning service, noting that the priest gave explanatory notes from time to time in Spanish and English, and with some sadness that the congregation of the faithful received under only one species. and of course the Glass Pyramid of the Louvre to inspect the Mona Lisa yet again and also the Winged Victory of Samothrace (the design for the frontal mascot of Rolls-Royce Cars). Probably the most exciting museum visited was the Hotel Biron which housed work by the sculptor Auguste Rodin. A late developer in the sculpting art, he nevertheless became outstanding in the breathtaking scope of his designs. The mansion and grounds are a magnificent setting for the display of approximately 500 of his works. His early attempts, though now regarded highly, were rejected, largely on the ground that he did not conform to established ideas. For instance he avoided the traditional pyramid and pedestal construction. He often did not include a base - his figures are light and airy and many appear to be flying in mid-air.
In the gardens are to be found such great works of art as The Thinker, Balzac, the Burghers of Calais and Ugolino et ses Enfants. Inside the great house there are about 8,000 drawings made by the master, a great many photographs and much information on how constructions were made - this is more a technical and engineering project than pure artistry. One is also enthralled by the larger than life figures of St John the Baptist and also various studies of the corpulent Balzac.
As with many other visitors to the gardens, my eye was drawn to the magnificent and complex sculpture in bronze entitled 'La Porte d'Enfer' - the Gates of Hell. This monument is well over three times the height of a person and contains in miniature many of the life-sized sculptures which adorn the museum and garden. The scenes depicted are of the locations in Hell, which, according to Dante Alighieri, were reserved for differing categories of sinner. I had no doubt that it was possible to detect the faces of the miserable miscreants of my own incident, part way down the great door. Superimposed upon the top were the celebrated three shades, and it was easy to pick out the Thinker, the doomed lovers Paolo and Francesca (in 'the Kiss') and other tormented bodies of the damned. Rodin's great works show how attentive he was to the plurality of viewpoints. Each sculpture is perfect from whatever angle it is viewed, particular attention being paid to unusual viewpoints such as directly above or below the subject. The whole show is totally moving, uplifting and thought provoking. We are aware that recognition in the lifetime of the artist is rare. What is true however, is that the fame and recognition now accorded is that of a giant of the art world. Rod Dawson Three weeks after the incident, the 4e Bureau of the Prefecture of Police notified me that my wallet had been recovered. I sent for it by letter, expressing my gratitude to them. It was returned intact, minus the money. Ah well - easy come, easy go! |
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page last updated 25 OCTOBER 2001 |
