Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) was a famous French sculptor.
Born on November 12, 1840, to a poor Christian family. His father was a police courier and his mother was a poor civilian woman. Rodin loved art since childhood, but his other homework was terrible. With the support of his sister Marie, the disappointed father had to agree to send him to the Paris School of Beaux-Arts and Crafts. His sister Mary relied on her own wages to provide for his food and lodging, so Rodin deeply loved his sister from an early age.
Rodin's School of Fine Arts and Crafts was founded in 1765 by the painter Barcelle, the beloved painter of Madame de Pompadour, where students learned the art of binding and cartography. Here he met his lifelong admired enlightenment teacher, Horace Lecock. Lecock was an ordinary art teacher, but he encouraged Rodin from the outset to be true to his true artistic sense and not to follow the rules of the academics. Perhaps it was this teaching that influenced Rodin's life. During this period, he often went to the Louvre to copy the master's famous paintings. Unable to afford oil paint, Rodin switched to a sculpture class and fell in love with sculpture ever since. Lecock also introduced him to the famous French animal sculptor Barye (Barye 1796-1875) to study, so that he received good basic training. After three years of arduous and diligent study, Rodin was full of ambition and prepared to apply for the Paris Academy of Fine Arts. Lecock introduced Rodin to the famous sculptor Hippolyte Maindron (1801-1884) and asked him to sign Rodin's application as a referee, but it was useless, and Rodin was defeated. The following year, he still failed. In the third year, an elderly host simply wrote next to Rodin's name: "There is no talent in this life, continue to apply, pure waste." In this way, the future European carvers were permanently rejected by the Paris Academy of Fine Arts. This was a heavy blow to the young Rodin, who aspired to become a sculptor.
The Bronze Age was created in 1876-1877 and is now located in the Jardin du Luxembourg, France.
This is the male figure that Rodin spent 18 months sculpting. The model is a young soldier. Rodin originally named it "The Conquered". Van Rasbur later encouraged him and suggested that Rodin remove the stick and rename it The Bronze Age. It should be said that the name is very apt, it re-gives the statue a deep meaning. It represents the transition of humanity from primitive society to the Bronze Age, and it symbolizes the "dawn of mankind" or "the awakening of mankind.". Rodin truly portrayed a well-proportioned and perfect young male body, his posture was very natural and vivid, his left leg supported the whole body, his right leg slightly bent, and his toes slightly touching the ground. The left hand is like holding a staff, the right arm is raised, and the hand is supported on the top of the head, so that the muscles of the torso and limbs change with it. His head was tilted back slightly, his eyes closed, as if he were about to wake up from a dream. The whole posture and facial expression are very harmonious, he stretches his whole body, is freeing himself from all restraints, and begins to emit inner strength. The contour structure of the whole body is not only uniform and perfect, but also reflects precise anatomical knowledge.
At the exhibition, "The Bronze Age" was considered by critics to be cast from the human body, and for a time Rodin became a vulgar liar. Rodin protested to the Academy, which sent a jury of five sculptors to Rodin's studio. Rodin did not refer to any models and publicly portrayed a male nude. On this improvised portrait, Rodin unquestionably demonstrates his precise anatomical knowledge and remarkable sculptural skills, which wordlessly defeated the mighty attack.
An even greater blow ensued, and Rodin's beloved sister Mary entered the convent out of love, and two years later, her weak spirit and body could not bear the frustration and cold life, and she died of illness. Rodin's spirit completely collapsed under this double blow, and he resolutely followed his sister's path and became a monk. But Rodin's strong flesh provided him with a steady stream of desires, in which the desire to create ignited an irrepressible flame in the heart of an artist, causing Rodin, who was equally devout to God and art, to fall into inner contradictions and pain. The kind and wise abbot of the convent, Emmar, saw rodin's thoughts in his repressed expression. He created the conditions for Rodin to have the opportunity to paint and sculpt. When he saw that Rodin was indeed talented, he persuaded Rodin to continue his sculpture business and "use art to serve God." Rodin was encouraged in this way. Rodin made a statue of Abbot Emaar in the convent with a soothing and grateful heart, which shows that the 23-year-old Rodin already had the insight, skill and skill to become a sculptor.
Rodin returned to Lecock and, with his help and support, began a career of self-study while working. Unable to afford a model, he asked Bibby, a beggar with a slumped nose, to model him. The ugliness of the beggar made Rodin see that on his worn face there was sorrow and desolation common to human beings. When he creates, he pays attention to the expression of light on the surface of the work, and incorporates the ideological connotation he wants to show into the work, so that sculpture art becomes a powerful language, and the content that people feel in their thoughts is far more than the visual feeling. This artistic idea was the painstaking pursuit of the master Michelangelo in his later years, and after more than three hundred years, it was first matured and manifested in Rodin's "The Man with the Broken Nose" and continued throughout his life, becoming the source of their soul and charm.
The Man with the Broken Nose/ The Man With the Broken Nose, 1864, in the Ermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia
He is good at using rich and diverse painterly techniques to create vivid and powerful artistic images. He wrote many sketches in his life, with a unique style, and has been handed down from the "Treatise on Art". Rodin's place in the history of European sculpture is like the position of the poet Dante in Europe. Rodin and his two students, Mayor and Buddell, are known as the "Three Pillars" of European sculpture.
Rodin had a beautiful student with assistant Camille Claudel. She entered Rodin's studio at the age of 19 and became an important part of his life. The love and troubles between them deeply tormented the artist and Camille himself. Camille was also an accomplished female sculptor. During his love affair with her, Rodin created a series of sculptures with the theme of "Eternity", two of which are "Eternal Spring" and "Eternal Idol". These works are also a reflection of Rodin's love life with Claudel.
The Eternal Idol, now in the collection of the Musée Rodin in Paris.
Camille S. Claudel's Sagundaro
In the works of Claudel and Rodin, there is a small double-eagled statue of a man kneeling in front of a woman, that is, Claudel's "Shagundaro" and Rodin's "Eternal Idol". They are strikingly similar to each other, but a closer look reveals the difference between the two, showing the sculptor's different perspectives of loving and being loved.
Claudel's "Shagundaro", the man kneeling in front of the woman, his cheeks pressed against his lover, his hands reaching behind the woman's back, hugging each other tightly, afraid of losing what he loved, and his face full of love and pity. At this moment, the woman caressed her chest with one hand and draped the other hand under the man's shoulder, and all her body and mind had become one with him. Just like the single-minded love she expects and desires.
In Rodin's Eternal Idol, the woman is like a goddess, and the man kneels before her feet with his hands behind his back, kisses her chest gently, and pours on her, looking extremely devout and worshipful. Two works, one passionate, intoxicating, full of humanity; one purified, sober, full of holiness; two sculptures put together, perhaps to show the most authentic Rodin and Claudell from 1885 to 1889.
Eternal Spring was created in 1882 and is now in the Musée Rodin in Paris, France
Rodin uses smooth, gorgeous lines to shape a passionate love poem: the most sweet feelings in the world are depicted with the human body of a man and a woman, the spring air is fresh and sensual, the flowers and trees are budding, the seeds of young people's love are also germinating in the heart, and the bronze sculpture adds nobility to this feeling. The teenager leaned back on the stone seat, the left hand grasped the stone to support the body, the right hand tightly wrapped around the girl's shoulder, he bowed his head and kissed the love in his heart, the girl knelt obliquely on the ground to accept this love warmth, her body seemed to bend the bright moon, try to bend backwards, her perfect posture stood out. This pair of lovers is emotionally enthusiastic, expressing their dedication, hugging and hugging, and the stretching of the body presents a passionate tension, they not only bring fresher vitality to the spring, in fact, they are the spring, and their love is the eternal spring.
The Kiss was created in 1884-1886 and is now in the collection of the Musée Rodin in Paris.
Based on the love tragedy of Francesca and Paul, described in Dante's Divine Comedy, Rodin uses this theme to portray two lovers who are desperate for worldly slander and kiss passionately in a rendezvous meeting. This sculpture incorporates the lower half of the double seat into the marble whole, avoiding the cumbersome footwork and strengthening the overall sense of the seated portrait. It is carved in a very classical realistic way. Their undulating, delicate, elegant bodies and postures cause extremely vivid light and shadow effects. It is as if its inner youthful enthusiasm and life.
Paul and Francesca, 1887, now in the Musée Rodin in Paris, France
The sculpture is based on the tragedy of Francesca and Paul's love affair in Dante's Divine Comedy (Inferno). In the picture, Francesca and Paul appear in front of Dante and Virgil, they snuggle and intertwine with each other, Paul holds Francesca's arm with his right hand, his head is thrown back, and his left hand is raised to cover his face, showing both love for his lover and the feeling of regret, shame and pain born of this love. And Francesca, on the other hand, clasped his hands tightly around Paul's shoulders, his eyes closed, and there was a state of mind and body entrusted to him, which seemed very entangled and attached, and also showed the simplicity and infatuation of a young girl. The bodies of the two floated in the air, looking very light. In this painting, the painter focuses on the inner psychological portrayal of the characters and the dramatic effect of the phantom. The use of color is a traditional technique of classicism, delicately depicting subtle changes in human skin in brown tones. The whole picture has an infectious power of intense love.
The Righteous People of Calais, 1884-1886, now in the french city of Calais.
The Righteous People of Calais was produced by Rodin at the invitation of the Mayor of Calais, De Vafran. In the 14th century, during the Hundred Years' War between England and France, Calais in northern France was surrounded by British troops. In order to save the lives of the entire city, six reputable citizens were forced to put a rope around their necks and offer the keys to the City to the King of England. The spirit of the heroic sacrifice of these citizens touched the whole city, and they were worshipped by the citizens as the city heroes of Calais.
Rodin was invited to make a commemorative sculpture for this time, he portrayed according to the British chronicler Fassat, he created a group of righteous people dressed in linen cloth and holding keys Rodin's "Calais Righteous People" creative method, which is to first create a nude study, and then put it on clothes to soak in plaster water to obtain the clothing pattern, so that the physical movements of the characters on the one hand appear to be extremely real, on the one hand, so that these heroes are dying when they die, and the unswerving spiritual temperament is ready to come out. In addition, the straight lines of clothes sagging are reminiscent of the vertical architecture of Gothic churches, and the sense of light on the bronze statues emphasizes this effect, giving a sense of seriousness and solemnity of medieval funerals.
The group of statues that the sculptor Rodin spent 11 years creating, the "People of Calais", was copied only 12 times under the restrictions of the French government. Rodin's original works were left in Calais, and the rest, some of which were collected by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, and some of which were bought by the British government and placed next to the British Parliament Building.
Omiyer, Bronze, created in 1885
This is one of Rodin's masterpieces. Based on the french poet Veyron's poem "Beautiful Omerice". The sculpture depicts an image of a prostitute devastated by time. Omiyer was once a young and beautiful prostitute who had a moment of affection in the love scene, but now the scenery is no longer beautiful and cannot be looked back. On the wrinkled and filthy thin face, in all kinds of deformities and mutilations, it is more obvious than in the normal and sound appearance. It was from the old and ugly prostitute that Mr. Rodin dug out the pain of her inner world and the sorrow of her soul. Dan uses the language of modeling to the fullest, boldly depicting an aging life. She is just a flesh and blood body that is close to the ultimate life, with endless regrets of life, helplessly waiting for the death knell to ring in the cruel loneliness. "Omiyer" is still widely regarded as a masterpiece of "turning ugliness into beauty" in art.
The Thinker was created between 1880 and 1900 and is now in the collection of the Musée Rodin in Paris
It is Rodin's greatest work in his later years, and it is also Rodin's painstakingly shaped masterpiece, which can be called a milestone in rodin's personal art sculpture history. This is a nude sculpture of a man based on a real person, "he" holds a fist in his left hand, his head is supported in his right hand, and his face is raised for thought, which is a strong and powerful, mature and profound image. The body with a strong sense of life contracted violently in an extremely painful thought, with a tight frown, a cheek-supporting arm, a low-pitched torso, a curved lower limb, as if all the details of the human body were under an invisible pressure, tightly converging and clenching inwards. It not only fully demonstrates the robust beauty of the human body, but also contains a profound and eternal spirit, full of symbolic metaphors, and also integrated into the spiritual essence of the entire human race. The solemn and profound thoughtfulness makes the whole work show a moving power. This work combines profound spiritual connotations with vivid human figures, reflecting the individual characteristics of Rodin's sculptural art. Its artistic power transcends time and space and has eternal artistic significance. In those years, Lenin said to two young delegates who were going to pass through France for London to attend the Congress of the Russian Socialist-Democratic Party: You must go and see Rodin's Thinker. This is evident here.
The Walking Man was created in 1877 and is now in the collection of the Musée Rodin in Paris
This sculptural work is also Rodin's more famous work. The work is a gesture of striding forward, although there is no arm and head, but it can make the viewer feel the infinite kinetic energy contained in the work, and one person firmly walks in the atmosphere of the storm. Of course, if we look closely at this walking action, we will find that such an action does not exist in reality. This seems to violate the laws of nature, but art is inherently a sublimation of nature, and if it is completely equated with the laws of nature, it is not art, and it is not Rodin's art. Rodin wrote, "This is a walking man! "Detached from the moving arms and head, the St. John's Baptist here has lost his identity and only a dynamic undoing structure remains.
Balzac
Rodin had great admiration for Balzac and was very happy to put him on statue. So in 1891, when the French Literary Society commissioned Rodin to sculpt a statue of Balzac, he immediately said: "I want to do something extraordinary." "When Rodin was 10 years old, Balzac died. Therefore, in the shaping of the image, he has done a lot of reading, investigation and research, and has made more than forty image study works before and after, focusing on portraying the appearance and spiritual characteristics of a generation of literary heroes. The sculptor argues that the creation of balzac is not the main thing, "I think of his passionate work, his hard life, his endless battles, his great boldness and spirit, I try to express all of this" Rodin's portrayal of Balzac is a nocturnal wanderer. Wen hao was accustomed to working in his pajamas at night, so Rodin asked him to meditate under the stars in his pajamas, the wide pajamas that wrapped around the standing giant. It is said that in the original manuscript, Balzac had a pair of wise hands. When Rodin asked for the advice of his student and assistant Bouldell, Bourdell praised: "His hands are so well carved!" Rodin took the hammer and smashed the hands, because he was afraid that the hands would be too prominent and let people ignore the main part. Now people see Balzac, his hands tightly covered by his nightgown, his facial spirit is protruding, and he seems to be walking and thinking alone all night in the moonlight.
Hell's Gates
Rodin selected the "Hell Chapter" from the great Renaissance poet Dante's long poem "Divine Comedy" and created the famous and large-scale "Hell's Gate" group of carved door decorations. This monumental artwork depicts 186 groups of suffering, several of which later developed into independent statues, such as The Thinker, The Three Ghosts, and Kissing. The central theme of the work is through the "Hell Chapter" "From me into the city of suffering, from me into the abyss of sin, you walk in, leaving all hope behind." The meaning, with its multi-structural forms, and symbolic compositions, and the movement of real people, comprehensively expresses Rodin's philosophical views, concentrates the evils of modern civilization on the "gate", portrays the image of fighting for lust, fear, pain, ideals, and torturing themselves, running through various feelings such as hope, disillusionment, death, and pain.
At the top is "Three Ghosts", where they stand, their heads close to each other, all three arms pointing to the hell below, and the Thinker is flanked by some petty sinners who are getting bigger and bigger. There are two doors below, one side is a young man and woman in love walking into hell, on the other side is a hungry ghost who wants to eat human flesh, and the rest includes all kinds of evil people, traitors, tyrants, prostitutes, and so on in hell.
Rodin's life was one of being attacked and ridiculed, but also a life of understanding and support. But he always faced all this correctly with a great personality. Rodin climbed all his life and finally reached another peak after Michelangelo. Rodin firmly believed that "art is feeling". His entire work attests to this idea and profoundly reveals the richness of human emotions. Rodin favored tragic themes and was good at discovering strength and beauty from the broken, which made his art have a broad and profound character. He ushered in a whole new era and created a whole new approach to art.