Day 0443

Woke early to urgent work emails, the bane of my life. Pushed them out of the way and got on with painting before meeting my portrait model for luncheon. What a glaring difference between my ragged daubs and the real thing! Have now to completely change the colours again, I just can't get it right. Much warmer, softer in real life.

Excellent Chinese dumplings, a delightful change, and then idling the afternoon in a café instead of painting. I'm far too easily pulled from my work, I'll never get anything done because I give in to the first distraction. Well, at least it was pleasant. Paris, food, girl, very few cares.

Watched a documentary about Rodin, the old cad. I knew just by looking at his art that he was a lascivious old rogue! Good chap, I'm glad to see that the art is nothing more than some kind of secretion, some kind of sublimation of his lust for women. An excuse! Wonderful, true!

"Mes dernières années sont couronnées de roses ; les femmes, ces dispensatrices, m'entourent ; et rien n'est si doux" "My last years are crowned with roses. I'm surrounded with beautiful women, those dispensers, and nothing is so sweet" Auguste Rodin, quoted in Rodin a l'Hotel de Biron et a Meudon, Gustave Coquiot

"Quel éblouissement : une femme qui se déshabille! C’est l’effet du soleil perçant les nuages." "A woman undressing, what a glorious sight. It's like the sun breaking through the clouds" Auguste Rodin

"In love all that counts is the act, everything else is detail. No doubt charming, but just detail" "Some people say I think too about women. But after all what is there more important to think about" BBC Fine Art Collection, Rodin