Jlsperanza@xxxxxxx writes: : : : In a message dated 8/7/2004 2:41:54 PM Eastern Standard Time, goya@xxxxxxx : writes: : M.C. I don't *know* what gravity it is; in fact I don't even *know*=20 : what it is not. : : ---- : : I wouldn't get too convoluted into an analysis of 'gravity'. It's just a : mistranslation of 'pensateur', thinker -- the famous sculpture by Rodin that : S. : Weil would see everyday on the metro to the Tulleries. : : Thinker and Grace. Grace being the other sculpture by Mrs. Rodin, not so : well known. They are both now in the same museum (The Rodin Museum, in Paris) There are several casts of the Thinker, which was sculptedby M. Rodin I believe. One cast was exploded here in Cleveland: The Thinker Foreign title: Le Penseur Auguste Rodin (French, 1840 - 1917) Medium: bronze, green patina Measurements: Overall: 182.9cm x 98.4cm x 142.2cm Date: 1880-1881 Gift of Ralph King 1917.42 The Thinker Vandalized At approximately 1am on March 24, 1970, a bomb irreparably damaged the Cleveland Museum's version of Rodin's The Thinker. The bomb itself had been placed on a pedestal that supported the enlargement and had the power of about three sticks of dynamite. No one was injured in the subsequent blast, but the statue's base and lower legs were destroyed. The remaining sections of the cast were blown backward to form a 'plume' at the base, and the entire statue was knocked to the ground. It was reported that this attack was undertaken by a radical political group, perhaps as a commentary on the continuing military action in Vietnam or the elitism of the American government. Regardless, no one was ever arrested or charged with the destruction. However, the incident highlighted several conservation issues related directly to artistic intent. Since the piece was so dramatically damaged, the Museum was unsure how to proceed. One idea was to create an entirely new cast to replace the damaged work. Another idea was to restore the sculpture by recasting elements of Rodin's original. Finally, however, it was decided that the statue should not be repaired, but placed outside the Museum in its damaged condition. <http://www.clevelandart.org/educef/rodin/html/1996461.html>. -- Peter D. Junger--Case Western Reserve University Law School--Cleveland, OH EMAIL: junger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx URL: http://samsara.law.cwru.edu NOTE: junger@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx no longer exists ------------------------------------------------------------------ To change your Lit-Ideas settings (subscribe/unsub, vacation on/off, digest on/off), visit www.andreas.com/faq-lit-ideas.html