Visiting an old friend at the Yale Art Gallery

As I walked the familiar doorway of the Yale Art Gallery, taking refuge from the light rain and steady winds, the relative quiet of the museum brought surprise. For some reason, more noise was expected. Instead there was the low murmur of many conversations spoken in hushed tones, as if one were in a library rather than a museum. Knowing exactly the location of the particular piece of artwork to be focused on, I passed through the gallery which housed the antiquities. Priceless works from ancient Rome and Greece line the large hallway, and include marble tiles, pottery, and reliefs. I make my way one flight up to the European Art gallery but pause as the way the light casts a shadow catches my eye.

The distraction now behind me I enter the European galley that opens to a dimly lit hallway. I turn left, to where I know my target sits. I pass by a series of masterpiece paintings by the likes of Pissarro, Monet, Corot, Cezanne, Renoir, and, of course, Van Gough. I stopped to momentarily examine the Masters while I awaited, not necessarily patiently, for two women that were standing there ogling and crowding my target. Finally they leave, and I am alone, save for the guard who stood solemnly nearby, with the creation of the great sculptor Auguste Rodin, The Thinker.

I am a fan of sculpture and consider Rodin to be the greatest of them all. I was had a lengthy discussion with a friend arguing the merits of Rodin above that of perennial favorite Michelangelo. The Thinker is, along with The Kiss, amongst his best-known works. There have many versions of the sculpture scattered throughout the world. This version is scaled according to the original size Rodin intended based on an early cast.  The amount of detail that Rodin was able to capture illustrates his creative ability as the piece as chipped away from stone rather than molded. The pensive and contemplative glaze of The Thinker has vexed the art world for over a century.

Before I left for the day I stumbled across this little guy.

 A wooden carving from 17^th-18^th century Borneo, that one might imagine could have served as inspiration for Rodin.  Anything is possible.