Rodin: The Laboratory of Creation
Musee Rodin, Paris, Nov 13th to Sept 27th 2015
Rodin’s figures have a restless energy. Lean, long-limbed, they stretch and slump, curl and clinch. Unlike that of his friend Monet, his rise to fame was a slow burn. It took critics years to give him the recognition he deserved and he still splits the crowd today. Is it because he is a tricky artist to pigeonhole?
Rodin was both a champion of modern art and a by-product of the late Romantics. He looked behind him for inspiration. He was fascinated by ancient Greek mythology and spent long periods obsessing over literary epics such as Dante’s “Inferno” and Baudelaire’s “Les Fleurs du Mal”. But he looked forward too, rebelling against traditional methods, finding new ways to work that blazed the trail for modern sculpture. His work is not about familiar iconography or textbook perfection, but a strong desire to capture the inner truths and troubles of the human soul. His world runs on passion and turmoil.
“The Laboratory of Creation”, the Musée Rodin’s final show this year, is an unusual one. With hardly any finished bronzes on display, “we’re focusing on the things we don’t usually show—the different steps and studies, the sketches before the masterpiece,” says Hélène Marraud, co-curator of the exhibition. Here, the weight will fall on Rodin’s plaster and terracotta casts: a huge collection that will be shown alongside his drawings. Irregular, rough and smothered in fingerprints, the casts offer a glimpse into Rodin’s creative process. Less polished than his bronzes, they have an expressive power that is authentic and undiluted, and shows Rodin at his best.
Look at “Meditation”, 1896 (above). The female figure is hunched; she meanders left, then right, and the surface is covered in pits and pocks. The details are unrefined, but Rodin has captured the true spirit and sensuality of his model. He has given her an emotional intensity that is both tender and authoritative, full of grace and full of strength. I’m booking my ticket now.
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