The fame of works such as the kiss 1884 the thinker 1880 and the age of bronze 1876 has transformed such depictions into paragons of high art yet until rodin s. Rodin stripped away many of the narative references to classical myth that were still attached to academic sculpture in the late 19 th century and placed a new stress on the dignity of simple human moments. In a career that spanned the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries auguste rodin french 1840 1917 was deeply inspired by tradition yet rebelled against its idealized forms introducing innovative practices that paved the way.
Auguste rodin c 1879 etienne carjat co carte de visite philadelphia museum of art curatorial files. This can be achieved by natural balance that is by making the sculpture stable enough in. The balance or equilibrium of freestanding sculpture has three aspects first the sculpture must have actual physical stability.
Erich lessing art resource new york. In the rodin museum paris. The kiss side view detail of the kiss marble sculpture by auguste rodin carved 1888 98.
Deriving from a figure at the top of the sculpture who gazes with melancholy over the hellish scenes below him he represents dante the author of the divine comedy that inspired the. Although the gates of hell was never completed to rodin s satisfaction in his own lifetime his work on the project did inspire many other finished works and the thinker is the most famous example. François auguste is considered brilliant innovator of sculpture and is one of the greatest sculptors of all time besides praxiteles canova michelangelo and cellini.
1840 1917 most important sculptor of the transition period from the 19th to the 20th century. Although not officially labeled as belonging to a specific artistic movement his sculptures certainly show the influence of. Auguste rodin was a french sculptor of the late 19th century.
Rodin possessed a unique ability to model a complex turbulent and deeply pocketed surface in clay he is known for such sculptures as the thinker the kiss the burghers. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman like approach to his work. François auguste rené rodin 12 november 1840 17 november 1917 was a french sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture.
Auguste rodin in full françois auguste rené rodin born november 12 1840 paris france died november 17 1917 meudon french sculptor of sumptuous bronze and marble figures considered by some critics to be the greatest portraitist in the history of sculpture his the gates of hell commissioned in 1880 for the future museum of the decorative arts in paris remained unfinished at his.
