I had a friend that surprised me by asking to go to lunch and a museum.
The lunch date didn’t surprise me, but the museum idea did.
Sometimes, just when you think you know someone, they do something different. I think it’s one of the most lovely things that can happen, really.
We went to a touring exhibit of Rodin. The exhibit included several of his casted statues as well as paintings and history about his life and work.
I was most moved by the history of The Kiss, God’s Hand and The Gates of Hell.
It turns out that The Kiss and The Thinker both came out of his work on the Gate which was never completely finished. The commissioned he’d received for the Gates was cancelled so he had to try and monetize the investment he’d already put into the project.
He pulled out these figures that were scattered around in various places and started making statues from the molds. They became extremely popular and some of his most well-known works.
He also spent considerable time just drawing and sculpting one particular part of the body. He’d focus on hands a while, then legs, torsos, etc. He didn’t start out as a star pupil and through his hard work and dedication, he built his own reputation and business.
The art spoke to me in a lot of ways and is often the case with me, the backstory also shined. His was a case of working hard and not settling for being a caster and less-talented artist. He always worked hard and he kept getting better. He didn’t give up.
He also would zero in on things he wanted to learn more of. He became an expert at all the smaller pieces while also keeping an eye on the whole.
Finally, he used everything he did for something more. His most famous pieces came directly from a “failure.” He didn’t quit or accept defeat. He was resourceful instead of a victim. He moved on and could have spent time pleading his case to get paid, but instead, just moved on and that furthered his career more than he could have imagined. Would The Thinker and The Kiss have emerged w/o Hell’s Gate?
That’s what it boils down to.
Think about it (hahaha)
No Kiss, no Thinker without Hell.
No success without the full, stormy journey.
Resilience, the fire of creativity and beauty.