Rodin

Raining Chateau de l'Islette 20014 6 29

Chateau de l'Islette

I enjoyed works of Auguste Rodin, a famous sculptor, mostly when I was staying in the US. Yet I was deeply moved by his work when I went to State Hermitage Museum at Saint Petersburg, Russia.

I usually walk uninterested inside a vast museum with collections of this and that and want to leave as soon as possible, yet I was stopped by a white, small statue of a man and a woman in embrace who looked like they were soaring upward.

It was because I was reminded of what Rodin said: “The work of art is already within the block of marble. I just chop off whatever isn’t needed.”
That is right.

It was moving to actually feel that the sculpture was a result of an artist chopping off what wasn’t needed.

There are many castles, or chateaus in Loire Valley where Mr. Peter Hyun is staying, which is befitting because Loire Valley was the old capital of France before Paris. One of the chateaus is Chateau of l’Islette, or Chateau de l’Islette – Rodin lived there with Camille Claudel for 4 years, and created many works amid the passion of love.

The story behind it, made known to the world through the movie ‘Camille’ which I haven’t seen yet, is this. Rodin, already a famous sculptor, worked with Camille, his female assistant who was thought to be a genius. The rumour has it that most of Rodin’s famous works were actually created by this genius assistant.

The truth will never be known. Meanwhile, the young current owner of the castle renovated the castle and opened it to public.

I didn’t understand all the French commentary. Yet with the interior that was both antique and modern at the same time, its furniture, and the pictures of its current owner – the castle was more modern than any other castle which gave me fresh sentiments.

A pond and river flows in the vast garden. Scent of colorful roses is particularly sweet. It feels like Rodin and Camille will appear out of nowhere.
I also spot heartrending letters written by Camille who was waiting for Rodin, and a face sculpture of a girl made by Camille who constantly inspired Rodin.
You can feel the spirit of their ardent love in this vast castle.

You will have a different perspective on Rodin once you learn the love story of Rodin and Camille.

That is why I looked for ‘Musee Rodin’ in Paris. Only after looking for the place everywhere did I realize that the place was right next to the Korean Embassy where I met the Korean Ambassador to France.

It rained again, and the Musee with the large garden which is in the middle of Paris greets me again.

It holds most of significant creations of Rodin in the suitably-sized building. For oil paintings that he made in the early times, people from all over the world are making a line as long as a line for Ginseng Chicken Soup restaurant in Seoul.

And once the people in line get inside, they will feel grateful for Rodin sublimating life and love in art, designing and making those masterpieces all his life. They will also feel grateful for the government’s discerning eye and details of cultural strategies, discerning Rodin’s value and making the hardware beautiful and graceful, linking the deep esprit of the artist and showing it to the world.

Sitting on a wet bench, I ponder on the air and culture of my divided country.

                 What are the pieces
                 Already engraved on
                 Our life

                Every moment of breath
                 Some hand exists to
                 Smash all useless kernels of

                Selfishness
                Delicacy
                Wickedness
                Fear

                Who would be moved at
                 The dazzling figure revealed
                 Eventually