Rodin: The Hands of Genius

by PINET HELENE

Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) is the only sculptor who is of equal rank to the French painters of the "Great Generation" from Monet to Cezanne. But while he has been considered an early modernist among sculptors, he drew on a rich variety of artistic traditions, including those of ancient Greece, the Renaissance, Egypt and the Far East. He was the creator of a new form in sculpture, the fragment as a finished work, usually a head or a trunk, sometimes a pair of heads only. Rodin is renowned for his expression of emotion and movement and his use of symbolism and distortion. In 1913 the artist described his pictorial approach to sculpting "I place the model in such a way it stands out against the background and so that the light falls on this profile. Then I turn them again and gradually work my way round the figure". Gathered in this work is a collection of photographs of Rodin's masterpieces - from the impressive shape of "The Thinker", to the powerfully melancholy group of "The Burghers of Calais" and some of the most outstanding portrait busts of this century, among them Rose Beuret, Madame de Goloubeff, Victor Hugo and Gustav Mahler.

Genres: Art, Biography, Nonfiction, Art History, History

Paperback

First published January 1, 1988

Reviews

[Audra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Rodin with my whole heart forever and ever, even though he was a fuckboy

[Volker Rivinius · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nachtrag vom 3. Februar 2021 - was hängengeblieben ist: ein Mal-schnell-so-zur-Abwechslung gelesenes Buch. In den Imaginaire-Bänden, deren Zielgruppe eigentlich Jugendliche sind, steht ja nie viel drin, aber dafür sind sie immerhin reich bebildert. Genaueres zu Rodin sucht man besser woanders.

Comme (presque) toujours, en ce qui concerne ces Imaginaires Gallimard, une excellente introduction à la vie et l'oeuvre d'Auguste Rodin, richement et judicieusement illustrée.

[Lemon · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of the siege of Calais and its burghers, and Rodin's inspiration for the monument to honor them was fascinating. The photos of this piece, and many others throughout the book are lacking. Many are from the era (photography's early days) and while they are interesting, they fail to capture the magnificence of his work.

The book's description of the process of sculpting, the roles of the assistants and the casting of sculptures were both informative and interesting.

The excerpts written by and about Rainer Maria Rilke were also quite good.

[Blane Rivera · Rating 5 out of 5]

For years I have loved his work , yet never knowing about Him the Artist behind this work that I admired so ✨✨✨

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A few interesting quotes from the book...

"Wandering among these thousands of objects...you find yourself turning involuntarily toward the two hands from which this world was born." -Rainer Maria Rilke

"Rodin was solitary before fame came to him. And the fame that he achieved rendered him perhaps more solitary than ever. For fame is ultimately nothing more than the sum of misunderstandings that crystallize around a new name." -Rainer Maria Rilke

"The question then arose: Could Rodin be induced to undertake the work? On no other condition would I sit, because it was clear to me that Rodin was not only the greatest sculptor then living, but the greatest sculptor of his epoch... I saw, therefore, that any man who, being a contemporary of Rodin, deliberately allowed his bust to be made by anyone else, must go down to posterity (if he went down at all) as a stupendous nincompoop." -George Bernard Shaw

[Michael P. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of the books in this series suffer from a small trip size and a regulated page count. Rodin sometimes worked in a vast scale, so a photo of an inch, as some are, completely fails to capture the grandeur of his work. The author does a good job of telling Rodin's story, but the telling sometimes feel squeezed by the page count. This is a good introduction to the artist, but it might be better.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book hidden away from my trip to Philadelphia this summer. After seeing Rodin's Musuem in Philly, I was awaken to the magic of his work and his influence to the art of sculpting. This book captures a background in his life, his inspirations, and an inner look at the artist.

[Dave · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an amazing read. I never thought that I could pick up a book about art/sculpture and be so intrigued. I bought this after wandering around for an afternoon in the Rodin Garden in Paris. His work will have you mezmerized.