The Metropolitan Museum of Art is celebrating the centenary of Auguste Rodin’s death. The show honors the artist’s explicit talent by exhibiting works that have been acquired and gifted to the museum over the past 100 years. Museum benefactors in the early 1900s encouraged a collaboration with Rodin to arrange a collection of his work. Bronze sculptures were cast at the museum's request and marble sculptures were acquired directly from Rodin’s studio, and the sculptor also donated plaster and terracotta models.
Rodin is considered to be the greatest sculptor of the nineteenth century, and arguably the greatest since Michelangelo, who was an influential inspiration to him his entire life. Rodin himself once said “My liberation from academism was affected by Michelangelo.” His artistic style was rejected from academic conventions in his early life although he was educated traditionally. Despite showing early promise he was rejected from Ecole des Beaux-Arts, the most prestigious art school in Paris at the time, and worked as an apprentice for many artists for about twenty years. When he was nearing his 40’s he finally had one of his sculptures exhibited for the first time and was thought to be almost too realistic. His works often clashed with predominant sculpture traditions which were decorative, highly thematic and followed a formula. He was mesmerised by the human form and wanted to depict modern attitudes of love, thought and light.
Rodin’s focus was mainly with the use of clay, he “rarely drives his own chisel,” (Steinberg, 178). He had poor eyesight so he would use hired hands to take his compositions in clay, enlarge them and create castings in plaster or bronze, or carve the marble. As his career progressed, he continued to develop his practice, experimenting with the combination of figures of different scales, and the making of new compositions from his earlier work. For example, the female figure of his Eternal Springtime sculpture was based on the Torso of Adèle, an earlier work modelled by Rodin and also used on the tympanum of The Gates of Hell. The sculpture has been given a variety of classicizing titles, the first being Zephyr and Earth as an attempt to neutralize the obvious eroticism of the work. In 1897 it was exhibited in the Paris Salon as Cupid and Psyche, which represents overcoming the obstacles of love. Now it is commonly known as Eternal Springtime, a more appropriate name to represent the blossoming of new love that will last an eternity in stone.
Eternal Springtime was modelled in 1881 during Rodin’s intense period of activity for The Gates of Hell, a sculpture depicting the tragedy of Dante’s Inferno. It was originally intended to depict Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Polenta from the poem, but this exquisite two-figure work never appeared on the portal: the content was too erotic and euphoric. The sculpture depicted a female figure who is “willful to surrender to her partner” (Met Museum) while the male holds her and is kissing her passionately. As the male figure reaches towards the woman, his torso and his muscles are bent together in a realistic way and the woman’s torso is leaning backward so she can naturally reach the male figure, as he sensibly supports her body. Both figures appear to be balanced perfectly with one another. They also demonstrate a physical sense of movement with their extreme poses. This work of art was created at the height of his affair with apprentice Camille Claudel. Rodin and Camille both inspired each other but their love story ended tragically when he refused to leave his longtime partner, Rose, and she descended into madness and died in an insane asylum. This work is connected to not only his development as an artist, but is also deeply tied to his personal life.
When I saw this sculpture in the museum I was taken back by the intensity of their embrace. The figures are presented beautifully with a striking juxtaposition with the white marble against the black painted wall. Similarly, to how Rodin would display his marble sculptures during his shows 100 years ago. Marble is also considered to be the medium which best resembles human flesh; hard and cold but is up to the artist to transform the marble to have a smooth and delicate appearance. The passion between the two lovers captivated me and made me feel the love that they were making. In contrast to the beauty and lust of Eternal Spring, another sculpture that caught my eye was The Tempest. I was attracted to the realistic despair portrayed by the relief. I could almost hear the woman screaming out through the marble. Overall, Rodin’s ability to transpire true emotion in a captured moment makes his work marvelous and remarkable.
Unlike Eternal Spring, less is known about The Tempest. Who or what inspired this dramatic sculpture is unknown. It has an explosive expression with such high relief that it is almost in the round. The Tempest, also called The Storm, is an appropriation of another sculpture called The Cry, it is another example of Rodin making new compositions from his earlier work. Neither The Cry nor The Tempest can be dated exactly, but it was reportedly seen in Rodin’s studio July of 1910. The block of marble is irregularly shaped so it is not intended for architectural purposes but rather a freestanding relief. The forward thrust of this head is dramatic and it identifies as one of Rodin's attempts to capture the effects of extreme stress or violent motion of the human figure.
The Tempest is a symbol of a furious storm, it illustrates the sensitivity of his surfaces and the gracious warmth and subtlety of his translation of flesh into marble. His relief, though only being a head, holds such a strong sense of motion and strength. The woman’s hair in the sculpture flows behind her fiercely as she lunges forward as if coming at the viewer yet appears to be held back by her braids. Perhaps her frustration lies in the inability to act on her desires.
Even though Rodin was rejected from art schools, such as Ecole des Beaux-Art he managed to become one of the best sculptors of the late nineteenth and twentieth century. His unconventional sculptures are known worldwide and unlike many classic artists, became famous during his lifetime. Rodin has taught us that by looking at art, we can learn more about ourselves. Instead of glorifying humans, Rodin focused on analyzing us. His captivity of real emotion makes him the father of modern sculptures and a prevalent artist in history.