PIO puts it well - it's a wonderful, criminally underrated museum. I see on their website another Raphael painting will be on loan from the National Gallery in a couple months.
FYI, I think those Rodin in figures are "the burghers of Calais." It's based on a historical event in which a king (can't remember which one, and I'm not going to Google it) sentenced either a) the six leading men of Calais or b) all of Calais to death in punishment for an uprising. What eventually happened is that the six burghers were paraded through town with nooses around their necks to signify that the king could execute them if he so wished. Then the men, and Calias, were pardoned. At least, that's the way my sleepy brain is remembering the story right now. I'm sure I'm getting a lot of bits and pieces wrong... And I think Rodin made only small series of these statues, and the Norton Simon has one of the significant sets. A great museum, and yes, sadly ignored.
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It's such a glorious place, inside and out.
I've always thought Rodin couldn't do people - wrong proportions, too short. Does anyone agree with me or have I got weird vision?
PIO puts it well - it's a wonderful, criminally underrated museum. I see on their website another Raphael painting will be on loan from the National Gallery in a couple months.
Agreed. I'm pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoy it every time I go. And the best part is that it is free with a student ID.
FYI, I think those Rodin in figures are "the burghers of Calais." It's based on a historical event in which a king (can't remember which one, and I'm not going to Google it) sentenced either a) the six leading men of Calais or b) all of Calais to death in punishment for an uprising. What eventually happened is that the six burghers were paraded through town with nooses around their necks to signify that the king could execute them if he so wished. Then the men, and Calias, were pardoned. At least, that's the way my sleepy brain is remembering the story right now. I'm sure I'm getting a lot of bits and pieces wrong... And I think Rodin made only small series of these statues, and the Norton Simon has one of the significant sets. A great museum, and yes, sadly ignored.
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