What do you think?
Rate this book
Rodin : Fugit Amor, An Intimate Portrait
This comics biography of one of the greatest sculptors who ever lived is brought to life by a collaboration with the Rodin Museum and includes a preface by its director. It views the artist's story through the eyes of the three women who shared his life, for good or for bad. One was his lifelong on-and-off companion, the other two his muses—one of whom was Camille Claudel, a well-recognized sculptor herself. Rodin’s work was revolutionary in conveying exceptional passion, transcending the stone. Here’s how that happened.
112 pages, Hardcover
First published May 25, 2017
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 16, 2020
I have never been a big fan of comics or graphic novels but recently discovered this little niche of biographies in the art form and really enjoy them. In less than 2 hours I can take in some art, learn a little about someone I before knew too little about and come away feeling that it was time well-spent.
This one details the life of Auguste Rodin and the three women he loved. I knew very little about Rodin outside knowing some of the art he created, so I was excited to learn more. It did not disappoint. The art is subtle and moody, giving me the feeling of old sepia photographs.
The book tells the story of his life from birth to death, and is divided into sections chronologically with an emphasis on the women in his life. This man was a philanderer who must have caused a lot of pain to these three women. I was surprised to learn that Rose stayed in his life for their entire lives and married him in the end. As a feminist woman in the 21st century I would have kicked him to the curb.
I love history and so a book that lets me explore a small moment in time is one I usually enjoy. I found the artwork to lend itself perfectly to the era, person and to the original art of Rodin. It felt like a loving tribute from one artist to another.
Thank you to Netgalley and to NBM Publishing for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This one details the life of Auguste Rodin and the three women he loved. I knew very little about Rodin outside knowing some of the art he created, so I was excited to learn more. It did not disappoint. The art is subtle and moody, giving me the feeling of old sepia photographs.
The book tells the story of his life from birth to death, and is divided into sections chronologically with an emphasis on the women in his life. This man was a philanderer who must have caused a lot of pain to these three women. I was surprised to learn that Rose stayed in his life for their entire lives and married him in the end. As a feminist woman in the 21st century I would have kicked him to the curb.
I love history and so a book that lets me explore a small moment in time is one I usually enjoy. I found the artwork to lend itself perfectly to the era, person and to the original art of Rodin. It felt like a loving tribute from one artist to another.
Thank you to Netgalley and to NBM Publishing for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.
December 9, 2019
Strangely Lifeless
This struck me as fine when considered as an illustrated pocket biography of Rodin's working life. You get a sense of the flow of his life and how his most notable works fit into that timeline. Lots of names are dropped and events are catalogued.
But, this is supposed to be Rodin viewed from the perspective of the most important women in his life. The women, as characters, are indistinguishable except as types - abandoned wife, ill-used student associate, manipulative society dame - and the main lesson seems to be that Rodin was something of a pompous egotist, lech, and cad.
So. The book is well drawn, although the panels all start to look alike about half-way through. The biography is barebones. The women all need #MeToo accounts. Interesting enough, but Rodin the sculptor of life seemed,here, ultimately lifeless.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
This struck me as fine when considered as an illustrated pocket biography of Rodin's working life. You get a sense of the flow of his life and how his most notable works fit into that timeline. Lots of names are dropped and events are catalogued.
But, this is supposed to be Rodin viewed from the perspective of the most important women in his life. The women, as characters, are indistinguishable except as types - abandoned wife, ill-used student associate, manipulative society dame - and the main lesson seems to be that Rodin was something of a pompous egotist, lech, and cad.
So. The book is well drawn, although the panels all start to look alike about half-way through. The biography is barebones. The women all need #MeToo accounts. Interesting enough, but Rodin the sculptor of life seemed,here, ultimately lifeless.
(Please note that I received a free advance will-self-destruct-in-x-days Adobe Digital copy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
May 11, 2023
Antik Cag benim icin en yüce güzelliktir. Ebedî şeylerin sonsuz ihtişamına o kapıdan girilir Auguste Rodin.
Düşünen Adam ,Tunç Cağı, Öpücük, Cehennemin Kapıları ve bu heykellerle modern heykel sanatının simgesi haline gelen Rodin. Insan bedenini kusursuz bir şekilde taşlara yontan, tenselligi muhteşem bir şekilde yansıtan bir sanatcı Rodin. Başarıları, bohem hayatı, kadınlarla olan çalkantılı ilişkileriyle sanat dünyasının ünlü ismi Rodin' in hayatının dönüm noktaları muhteşem çizimlerle anlatılmış Mahrem bir Portre'de. Küçük Rodin 'in annesiyle beraber kurabiyeden adamlar yapmasıyla başlıyor bu tatlı kitap. Kızkardeşi ile olan ilişkileri, kızkardeşinin hastalık sonucu vefat etmesi, bohem hayatı, eğitimi cizgilerle anlatılırken , Rodin'in hayatında dönüm noktaları olan Rose, Camille ve Claire dahil oluyor bu kucuk kitaba. Özellikle Camille Rodin'inden daha yetenekli bir insan.Fakat donemin toplumsal yapısı kadının heykel sanatıyla ugrasmasini cok dikkate almıyor. Bu durumu Anna Delbee 'nin Camille Claudel isim kitabini okuyunca daha iyi anlıyorsunuz. Camille Rodin'e aşık bir kadin fakat Rodin Camille kadar cesaretli degil. Rose isimli bir kadindan bir cocugu var ve yıllar sonra onunla Camille'yi görmezden gelerek evleniyor. Camille ve Rodin ilişkisi kopuyor cok az görüşmeye başlıyorlar ve Camille psikolojik rahatsızlık geçirerek hastahaneye kaldırılıyor . Ve krizler sonucu cogu eskizlerini yok ediyor. Bunları daha iyi anlamak icin Camille Claudel kitabini okumak gerek. Camille unsuru bu kucuk kitapta bu kadar ayrıntılı olarak anlatılmamış olsa da konuyu biliyorsanız sorun olmuyor. Sanatı seven okuyucular yoğun okumalardan sonra hoş vakit geçirtecek Rodin Mahrem Bir Portre isimli bu kitabi okuyabilirler. Iyi okumalar
Düşünen Adam ,Tunç Cağı, Öpücük, Cehennemin Kapıları ve bu heykellerle modern heykel sanatının simgesi haline gelen Rodin. Insan bedenini kusursuz bir şekilde taşlara yontan, tenselligi muhteşem bir şekilde yansıtan bir sanatcı Rodin. Başarıları, bohem hayatı, kadınlarla olan çalkantılı ilişkileriyle sanat dünyasının ünlü ismi Rodin' in hayatının dönüm noktaları muhteşem çizimlerle anlatılmış Mahrem bir Portre'de. Küçük Rodin 'in annesiyle beraber kurabiyeden adamlar yapmasıyla başlıyor bu tatlı kitap. Kızkardeşi ile olan ilişkileri, kızkardeşinin hastalık sonucu vefat etmesi, bohem hayatı, eğitimi cizgilerle anlatılırken , Rodin'in hayatında dönüm noktaları olan Rose, Camille ve Claire dahil oluyor bu kucuk kitaba. Özellikle Camille Rodin'inden daha yetenekli bir insan.Fakat donemin toplumsal yapısı kadının heykel sanatıyla ugrasmasini cok dikkate almıyor. Bu durumu Anna Delbee 'nin Camille Claudel isim kitabini okuyunca daha iyi anlıyorsunuz. Camille Rodin'e aşık bir kadin fakat Rodin Camille kadar cesaretli degil. Rose isimli bir kadindan bir cocugu var ve yıllar sonra onunla Camille'yi görmezden gelerek evleniyor. Camille ve Rodin ilişkisi kopuyor cok az görüşmeye başlıyorlar ve Camille psikolojik rahatsızlık geçirerek hastahaneye kaldırılıyor . Ve krizler sonucu cogu eskizlerini yok ediyor. Bunları daha iyi anlamak icin Camille Claudel kitabini okumak gerek. Camille unsuru bu kucuk kitapta bu kadar ayrıntılı olarak anlatılmamış olsa da konuyu biliyorsanız sorun olmuyor. Sanatı seven okuyucular yoğun okumalardan sonra hoş vakit geçirtecek Rodin Mahrem Bir Portre isimli bu kitabi okuyabilirler. Iyi okumalar
January 3, 2024
Біографічний мальопис про життя, трагедії, любов та скандали великого французського скульптора Огюста Родена, який не показує його янголом (бо він ним не був), але показує його талановитим та працелюбним митцем (бо ним він був).
January 25, 2021
Well done. I had no idea Rilke was his personal secretary. Good books listed in the back of the graphic novel to follow up on learning more history about rodin as well as his social circle.
March 31, 2020
Who is the target market for this book? Its story telling and writing is very simplistic, as if it is aimed at children . . . until it occasionally throws in an obscure English word (such as "sententious"). Is the translation bad, or is the original writing bad? So I thought maybe this is geared toward children in mind, but then it includes some sexually explicit images, and not just naked representations of art. The jumble of these things was distracting and I had to push myself to finish the book. I did enjoy seeing reproductions of Rodin's work and learning about his life, but the poor writing detracted significantly from my experience. I would have enjoyed a collection of photographs of his work more, and probably learned just as much.
February 27, 2020
Here’s what I love about this one. That it exists; I want watercolor-laden graphic novels about all of my favorite artists. Yes, please and thank you.
That said, despite the gorgeous art, – for me – this one doesn’t work. The dialogue is beyond clunky (Hello, and welcome to the land of wooden exposition) and the characters are all off-putting. I understand that Rodin’s life story needed to be consolidated to fit the books form and purpose. The idea is that the book “views the artist's story through the eyes of the three women who shared his life, for good or for bad.” And perhaps a different frame would have been preferable here, because as I read this there was only room everyone to hit two notes. For all three women, these notes were sex and jealousy. At least Rodin got sex and art. Seriously, Rose and Camille were both introduced and then within a few pages (3 for Rose and 6 for Camille) they’re both literally presenting their close-up shot bare breasts into Rodin’s hands. The spreads are only dissimilar in that one is outdoors during the day and the other is… Indoors. At night. *shocked face*
Perhaps I just wanted to romanticize an artist whose work I admire, but Rodin comes across, not great in this and I wish more focus had been given to his relationship to art instead of sex. Or perhaps, I’m just the wrong audience? I don’t think is aimed at kids given the amount of nudity and the fairly not-simplified take on art, but if it is aimed at adults, then why was the narrative so clunky?
I did think the integration of historical sources was great though: the song, the letters, etc. It was a great way to connect the text to the subjects within it and damn, Camille and Rodin knew how to write a love letter!
My thanks to the creators, the publisher and NetGalley for the arc to review.
That said, despite the gorgeous art, – for me – this one doesn’t work. The dialogue is beyond clunky (Hello, and welcome to the land of wooden exposition) and the characters are all off-putting. I understand that Rodin’s life story needed to be consolidated to fit the books form and purpose. The idea is that the book “views the artist's story through the eyes of the three women who shared his life, for good or for bad.” And perhaps a different frame would have been preferable here, because as I read this there was only room everyone to hit two notes. For all three women, these notes were sex and jealousy. At least Rodin got sex and art. Seriously, Rose and Camille were both introduced and then within a few pages (3 for Rose and 6 for Camille) they’re both literally presenting their close-up shot bare breasts into Rodin’s hands. The spreads are only dissimilar in that one is outdoors during the day and the other is… Indoors. At night. *shocked face*
Perhaps I just wanted to romanticize an artist whose work I admire, but Rodin comes across, not great in this and I wish more focus had been given to his relationship to art instead of sex. Or perhaps, I’m just the wrong audience? I don’t think is aimed at kids given the amount of nudity and the fairly not-simplified take on art, but if it is aimed at adults, then why was the narrative so clunky?
I did think the integration of historical sources was great though: the song, the letters, etc. It was a great way to connect the text to the subjects within it and damn, Camille and Rodin knew how to write a love letter!
My thanks to the creators, the publisher and NetGalley for the arc to review.
February 13, 2020
I love graphic novel memoirs and biographies and this one detailing Auguste Rodin's life did not disappoint! Rodin is an artist I've been familiar with for quite some time as far as his sculpture, but knew nothing of his personal life or artistic journey. With a beautiful art style, this graphic novel beings with Rodin's birth, ends with his passing and provides copious detail throughout his life. While art was definitely at the forefront of the story telling, this novel is organized into chroniological sections based on the relationships in Rodin's life and does not shy away from his philandering ways. As someone who appreciates art and enjoys learning about art history, this was a fantastic graphic novel that I would highly recommend! If art somehow doesn't interest you, this publisher has a whole collection of biographical graphic novels.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a PDF of this gorgeous title for review!
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a PDF of this gorgeous title for review!
February 20, 2020
'A. Rodin' by Joel Alessandra with art by Eddy Simon is a graphic novel biography about the artist primarily known for his sculpture.
An interesting take for this biography is that the chapters are named after the women he primarily was with for each period. Beginning with long-suffering Ruth who say the talent and put up with the nonsense. Second was Camille Claudel who was a very good artist in her own right. Then Claire came along late in life to work on getting Rodin more fame and a museum.
I've read a number of the NBM series, and some are better than others, but they are all interesting. I liked this look at Rodin's life and philandering. His major works are covered and some of his thought process. The art is good, with a hazier line style that worked well for this book.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from NBM Publishing, Papercutz, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
An interesting take for this biography is that the chapters are named after the women he primarily was with for each period. Beginning with long-suffering Ruth who say the talent and put up with the nonsense. Second was Camille Claudel who was a very good artist in her own right. Then Claire came along late in life to work on getting Rodin more fame and a museum.
I've read a number of the NBM series, and some are better than others, but they are all interesting. I liked this look at Rodin's life and philandering. His major works are covered and some of his thought process. The art is good, with a hazier line style that worked well for this book.
I received a review copy of this graphic novel from NBM Publishing, Papercutz, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this graphic novel.
August 19, 2025
This graphic novel could have used the medium in such a more effective way. Rodin himself is flat, uninteresting, morose, grumpy, and seems to have only one expression ever on his face. (Granted, his beard covers most of it.) Told from the perspective of the 3 women in his life, the first relationship is lifelong, and she is treated abominably and callously. The other two are caricatures—throwing themselves ridiculously at him while the poor expressionless man has no choice in the matter. Don’t make the mistake that this book is appropriate for children—the graphic nudity goes far beyond his artwork. Maybe Rodin was actually a thoroughly unlikable man—I don’t know—but even an unlikable person deserves a more engaging story.
April 3, 2020
Todo sea dicho sin juzgar la vida y obra de Rodin, ésta novela es aburrida, su uso de lenguajes narrativos es deficiente, inconexa e impersonal, es totalmente carente de personalidad, ritmo, tensión dramática y ni siquiera es particularmente didáctica.
Esta novela supuestamente se presenta desde la perspectiva de las mujeres que fueron importantes en la vida de Rodin, pero las mismas son presentadas sin ninguna personalidad, indistinguibles unas de las otras, ni siquiera cubren un rol arquetípico o estereotípico.
Estéril, impersonal, intrascendente, aburrido.
Esta novela supuestamente se presenta desde la perspectiva de las mujeres que fueron importantes en la vida de Rodin, pero las mismas son presentadas sin ninguna personalidad, indistinguibles unas de las otras, ni siquiera cubren un rol arquetípico o estereotípico.
Estéril, impersonal, intrascendente, aburrido.
February 17, 2020
3 stars ⭐️
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book .
I saw a few people who reviewed this in Instagram and was quite excited to receive a copy. However, this book never really came to life for me. . Although it recounted Rodin’s life from the perceptive of the women in his life, the story never elicited any emotion from me.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of this book .
I saw a few people who reviewed this in Instagram and was quite excited to receive a copy. However, this book never really came to life for me. . Although it recounted Rodin’s life from the perceptive of the women in his life, the story never elicited any emotion from me.
March 14, 2021
It’s not the best of these types of books but it’s still worth reading to learn about an artist I previously had no idea about. I like how these historical type biographies are a good gateway book into researching people further.
Want to Read
February 1, 2020Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.
September 22, 2020
If this book was designed to make me dislike Rodin even more than I had suspected I would, it surely succeeded!
August 17, 2021
Reminiscent of classic comic books of my youth. The dialogue is clunky and none of the characters including Rodin come to life.
August 25, 2021
The whole life span of Rodin in x pages. No wonder it felt so flat and trivial.
November 11, 2023
I like the art style of this graphic novel but the writing (or translation) is really bad.
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews