Auguste Rodin: Erotic Watercolors

by Auguste Rodin, Anne-Marie Bonnet (Introduction)

English (translation)Original German

Genres: Art

159 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Auguste Rodin (born François-Auguste-René Rodin) was a French artist, most famous as a sculptor. He was the preeminent French sculptor of his time, and remains one of the few sculptors widely recognized outside the visual arts community.

Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past. He was schooled traditionally, took a craftsman-like approach to his work, and desired academic recognition, although he was never accepted into Paris's foremost school of art. Sculpturally, he possessed a unique ability to model a complex, turbulent, deeply pocketed surface in clay.

Many of Rodin's most notable sculptures were roundly criticized during his lifetime. They clashed with the predominant figure sculpture tradition, in which works were decorative, formulaic, or highly thematic. Rodin's most original work departed from traditional themes of mythology and allegory, modeled the human body with realism, and celebrated individual character and physicality. Rodin was sensitive to the controversy about his work, but did not change his style, and successive works brought increasing favor from the government and the artistic community.

From the unexpected realism of his first major figure—inspired by his 1875 trip to Italy—to the unconventional memorials whose commissions he later sought, Rodin's reputation grew. By 1900, he was a world-renowned artist. Wealthy private clients sought Rodin's work after his World's Fair exhibit, and he kept company with a variety of high-profile intellectuals and artists. He married his life-long companion, Rose Beuret, in the last year of both their lives. His sculpture suffered a decline in popularity after his death in 1917, but within a few decades his legacy solidified.

Reviews

[Cristina Contilli]

Un libro che testimonia dell'ampio uso che faceva Rodin di disegni preparatori per le sue sculture, disegni in cui ritraeva le modelle dal vero, perché come dichiarò lo stesso Rodin in un'intervista del 1910: "Le mie modelle è quando abbandonano la posa che mi rivelano più spesso la loro bellezza. Non indico mai loro un movimento, dico loro: "Siate in collera, sognate, pregate, piangete, danzate." Spetta a me cogliere e fissare la linea che mi sembra vera."

[kt m]

As a fan of Rodin, I liked some of the sketches, loved a few, but a few of them were a little too voyeuristic for me. But plenty seemed natural and beautiful. There was even some lesbians! *gasp* The way Rodin draws faces moving is fascinating. The abstract art in this is what keeps it interesting and I’m so intrigued on how the 8,000 ish of these sketches we do not see differ! I also enjoyed reading about the history and censorship of the sketches and how Rodin’s sculptures were treated differently due to the “undoubted eroticism seemed domesticated in a veil of myth and symbolism.” (pg 53)
Also cool reading the names of artists who were inspired by these sketches.