Musée Rodin

Rodin, The Kiss, 1888-1889, Rodin Museum

The Musée Rodin was my favorite museum I visited in Paris because of its small intimate setting and beautiful gardens. It did not have the formal atmosphere that most museums usually have. This could be attributed to the building’s original function. The Hôtel Biron, where Rodin resided, was transformed into a museum dedicated to Rodin’s works after his death. Because it is the place where Rodin lived, his works seem to naturally fit in with their surroundings. When you enter the museum, it still has signs of its original function with its large windows and staircase. Throughout the museum’s gardens, Rodin's works are dispersed such as his famous sculpture, The Thinker. Despite being placed outdoors, there is a contrast between the rough texture of his sculptures and the well-groomed shrubbery that surrounds it. Nonetheless, due to the large size of the sculptures, they are better suited outdoors instead of inside the museum's cozy interior.

The most striking aspect of Rodin’s sculptures is their ability to project emotion through their bodies. His marble work, The Kiss, 1888-1889, captures a kiss between two nude lovers. Although the use of nude statues is a classical technique, the passion between the two people creates a stronger emotion than works from an earlier time. As a viewer, I almost felt like I was intruding on the sculpture’s space because the people are so immersed into each other and their actions. Since the two figures have closed eyes,

they do not notice that they are being watched. In my opinion, this sculpture is more about capturing an eternal expression of love than the people being represented. They are not individuals because they have no clear features, and their faces are hard to see. As I walked around the sculpture, the two figures seem to almost become one. Parts of their bodies are joined together such as the woman’s leg on the man’s thigh. As a result, it is hard to view the characters in the work as separate beings because of the execution of the action portrayed.