Rodin

by François Blanchetière

While anchoring his practice in the traditions of antiquity and the Renaissance, Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) paved the way for modern sculpture. From a very early stage, he was interested in movement, the expression of the body, chance effects, and the incomplete fragment. It was these elements that gave shape, and the impression of life, to such famous works as The Kiss and The Thinker. Produced in collaboration with the Musée Rodin, this TASCHEN Basic Art introduction examines the formative years of Rodin’s training as well as the key stages of his subsequent career. It retraces the genesis of his sculptures and monuments from both a historical and an aesthetic point of view and illuminates the links between his different works. The reader gains access to the artist’s ideas, as well as to the real material processes in his studio―the modeling in clay, the passage from plaster to bronze or to marble, enlargement, the creation of assemblages, and his deeply sensual erotic drawings. An inexhaustible source of inspiration for subsequent generations of artists, Rodin’s work incorporated innovation and transgression, but above all an unrivaled passion for working in front of the living model and for capturing the truth of human experience and forms. With rich illustration and texts from François Blanchetière, this book invites us to discover―and rediscover―this priceless legacy. About the series Born back in 1985, the Basic Art Series has evolved into the best-selling art book collection ever published. Each book in TASCHEN’s Basic Art series features: a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance a concise biography approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions

Genres: Art, Art History, Nonfiction

95 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2016

Reviews

[Jhinensky · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this biography at the Rodin philadelphia museum because my love for Rainer Maria Rilke, and the poet always mentioned the sculptor as his biggest influence. I wasn’t interested in sculpture before but Rodin is such a fascinating character it didn’t take much page turning for me to become immersed in his world.
You should definitely pick up this book.
Rodin taught me to start with love. The success of his “The Kiss” isn’t just for the beauty of the sculpture. Just that when interacting with new art, with new people we want relatability and some universal subjects. Love is exactly that. It allowed the masses to see him as a voice that was saying something they had heard before and confirm a truth they held inside. After that is introspection. The thinker to show that the voice has new things to say, and it’s complex just as the masses believe themselves to be.
Rodin only started getting commissions in his 30’s and his big break until his 40’s. The slow progress of his career and its reaching such a high apotheosis was inspiring. Art takes time. Scary for someone who’s starting his music journey so late but I will learn to be okay with that. I don’t need to be good by tomorrow.
I wish more was said about his creative process, his commitment and love for work. “Work, always work” He told Rilke on a letter once. Rilke internalized this as the way he describes god in some of his poems is as if the work you do to save yourself is god. So obviously i was disappointed that there wasn’t much comments on this aspect of him besides the comment from his other apprentice Charles Despiau “Once you had chatted with him, you wanted to work”. Nonetheless it was still interesting learning about his vast network of colleagues, critics, politicians and collectors. Something i’ll keep in mind for my music. Nowadays musicians want to be nonchalant and not connect but i will try my best to connect with all sorts of people, magazines, interviewers and influencers.
The pictures of him around his work at the end of the book are so beautiful and aura-full. And his sculptures are trully beautiful. The burghers of Calais took my breath away. I want to rip it off the page and put it on my wall.
This story was humorous in parts, the author made sure we knew how much of a pathetic weirdo he was for dating Claudel and how she had moved on as she grew older. It was funny.

[Yoda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Good Succinct Overview of the Roden’s Sculptures

Any review of this book would have to start out by pointing out that is part of Taschen Publishing’s “Basic Arts” series. As such, it is relatively short at only about 95 pages. Hence, for those seeking an academic treatise on the subject, this is not the book. In addition, due to the brevity of the book Roden’s non-sculpture works (i.e., paintings, drawings outside of those related his sculptures, etc.) are barely mentioned. The book provides only an overview of these sculptures in their many forms (i.e., stone, bronze, etc.). With respect to that the author does a very good job, especially given the many sculptures Roden produced. In addition, the book provides a good picture of how Roden’s sculpture style changed over time as well as integrating a good basic biography of him.

In short, a four star book for anyone seeking a succinct overview of the man and his sculptures.

[Molsa Roja(s) · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terribly good summary of Rodin's life and work. It's highly interesting, if combined with Rilke's account of his work and with biographies of other 19th Century artists, to see why Rodin was successful in the first place; how he worked, and how he invisibilized the workers of his atelier; how he, for a long time, worked basically for the french state. Of course, there's an obvious reason for that, but it's clear that if Rodin was a sculptor, he was also an Statesman; if he changed the cannon, is because he made sure to have the contacts, and to inhabit within the accepted limits of the discipline -contrary to painters such as Van Gogh.