Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) was a French sculptor. His best work can be seen at the Musée Rodin in Paris. The museum is in a mansion that Rodin used as his workshop. He offered to give the mansion to the State after his death, on the condition that it become a museum for his work.
I love his work, and I’ve been to the museum several times over the years. I’d like to share with you some of the pictures I have taken at the museum, and some anecdotes and facts about his work.
‘The Age of Bronze’ was Rodin’s first acclaimed work. It caused some controversy when it was exhibited in Paris in 1877 as critics suggested the life-size sculpture had been made by taking a cast of a living model because the statue seemed to be too perfect. Rodin had to release pictures of the Belgian soldier he had used as a model to prove that this was not the case.
‘The Gates of Heal’ is a work that wasn’t finished until after the death of Rodin. He received a commission for a decorative door in 1880 and soon went to work on designing the piece. It is taken from Dante’s Inferno and included many of Rodin’s future famous works such as Dante as ‘The Thinker’ as he contemplated hell and the lovers from ‘The Kiss’. The museum for which the doors were commissioned was never built, so Rodin wasn’t paid to complete the work.
‘The Kiss’ was my first introduction to Rodin’s work. The statue is of Paolo and Francesca from Dante’s Inferno. Their story is a tragic one. While reading together a book of romantic tales, they realised their passion for one another. Rodin’s sculpture is of their first kiss and shows the book slipping from Paolo’s hand. Francesca’s husband, who was also Paolo’s brother discovered them together and stabbed them both to death.
My favourite statue is ‘The Walking Man’. I first saw this sculpture in the Museum of Santa Barbara in California. The museum had a small collection, so I spent more time looking at this one piece. I think small galleries are the best way to view art. I heard that visitors to La Louvre in Paris spend an average of two seconds looking at each work of art. It’s like flicking through a glossy magazine and glancing at the pictures. To appreciate a work of art, you need time to look at it and think about it, go away and then come back for another look. With this statue Rodin has stripped away everything which isn’t necessary to the beauty of the sculpture, leaving only the torso and legs.
Thanks for reading. Who’s your favourite artist? What is your favourite by Rodin? Why do you like it?