 | Few artists of the last two centuries have played such a major role in the history of art as Rodin did, his influence and power of expression still being admired today. During his lifetime and beyond, Auguste Rodin (1840 - 1917) was considered one of the most important and popular sculptors of the 20th century, his manner of creating, works and techniques promoting a new age in the genre of figurative sculpture. It combined the old and the new, bringing new life to modern sculpture. |
The Baltimore Museum of Art, USA, is presenting an impressive exhibition dedicated to Rodin and his influence on artists such as Edgar Degas or Henri Matisse, titled "Rodin : Expression & Influence". The show is opening today, on the first of August and will close on the 6th of April 2008. The curators have chosen around 30 works from the museum's own rich collection, mainly sculptures of Rodin, as well as artworks of his contemporaries. Many of these are on display for the very first time and prove the role that Rodin played on the artistic circles of his time.
The most impressive work on display is without a doubt the well-known and iconic The Thinker, one of Rodin's best, considered by many his masterpiece. Other interesting exhibits are the four bronze casts of Honore de Balzac - two busts, one head, one standing figure - revealing how much work and care Rodin put into the portraying of this legendary figure of French literature. Other works are the bust Mignon, modeled after Rose Beuret, the sculptor's companion, some studies for historical compositions and a couple of figures for the monumental The Gates of Hell, the most ambitious undertaking for Rodin, for which he worked from 1880 to his death, in 1917.
The show includes some sculptures by Emile Antoine Bourdelle, Edgar Degas, Charles Despiau, Auguste Renoir, Aristide Maillol and Pablo Picasso, also a small selection of works on paper, thus narating the influence that Rodin had on other artists, who regarded him as a pioneer and an inovator.
Photo : artbma.org
2007-08-01
