Thursday, December 4, 2008

Rodin Musuem - AHB



Rodin is an interesting artist and I would encourage everyone to read up a little on his biography. He is considered the foremost sculpture artist of the last 200 years, and most people are generally aware of at least one of his works (the kiss, and the thinker are the biggies).

I really love the interaction that takes place when viewing sculpture. The fact that you can walk around an entire piece and really digest it from top to bottom is unique in art. I also love the process - it is just fascinating. Rodin was really groundbreaking, and is really responsible for opening up new realms in sculpture and art. A lot of his stuff is somewhat abstract compared to more classical works (i.e. the stuff at the Louvre) but there is an easily recognizable streak of humanity in all of it. But his work really did shock people because it wasn't concerned with the typical models of history and art.

Rodin loved to use and display the female form in art. His sculptures are filled with Eros and a pure kind of sexuality that is powerful without being vulgar. There is almost an aspect of worship in the way that he forms the body, and I really like the combination/integration of the two figures in the Kiss.

Rodin has a work called the Gates of Hell that he labored at for his entire life. The Thinker was actually never meant to be an individual sculpture, it was always intended to maintain that central position at the top of the doors. Some suggest that the figure is actually Dante or some kind of poet looking into hell. I found this really fascinating because I always thought of the Thinker as an intellectual figure, but the true story makes him both more interesting and more human.

No comments: