Auguste Rodin

Paul Paulin

Auguste Rodin's (1840-1917) work spanned the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century. Unlike most French artists at the time, he was not educated at the École des Beaux-Arts (THE prestigious school for training and refining French artists). This in no way inhibited his artistic process and scope nor his respect for sculptural traditions and technique. In fact, the inspiration he pulled from tradition along with his firm belief that art should model nature paved the way to his success. Rodin strived to portray human expression, namely extreme sadness and joy. It is therefore no wonder he worked large and almost always made use of his base material (usually bronze, marble, plaster and clay). Note that he was also not afraid to leave things untouched and sometimes even incomplete.

Andromeda
(1886)
marble
29.8 x 29.2 x 22.9 cm

(casted bronze)

The Gates of Hell
unfinished (worked on for 37 years)
plaster model during lifetime, cast once he died
635 x 400 x 85 cm

I Am Beautiful
(1885)
plaster, cast in 1925
69.8 x 33.2 x 34.5 cm
- inscribed poem from Charles Baudelaire into base -
*both figures appeared in the Gates of Hell beforehand*

(casted bronze)

The Kiss
(1882)
marble
181.5 x 112.5 x 117 cm

(rear)

The Shade
modeled 1881-1886, enlarged 1901-1904
191.8 x 112.1 x 50.2 cm
*appeared in the Gates of Hell before*