Auguste Rodin: between classic and modern sculpture

1. An intro to this art history lesson: Hi guys, and welcome to this new powerhouse art history lesson. We'll meet a good stroll down the first modern sculpture. In previous lessons, we have learned about the impressionist, robust contemporaries. So I invite you to go back to complement today's learning. I'm Paulina. Go find constant updates and news about my art history tunnel through my social media. Remember, today's class is for every level. So you don't need any previous experience to be able to answer the quiz that you'll find in the project, where you'll have to identify radars work amongst other images without further ado. Let's start layering seizure in today's class. 2. Rodin, the modern: Hello guys. Today we will talk about the most famous sculpture in France, a ghost hold on. Contemporary, although not exactly part of the Impressionist movement, and considered the father of mothers culture. With him. The search for me, Mrs. ended. And the newest cultural concept was created in relation to the monument and public sculpture. He was criticizing his time for the unfinished look of many of his works. But that is spontaneous and expressive modeling will be, as we know, the future. With him, we say goodbye for the first time to the coats established by the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. Of course, this doesn't mean that the artists did not know or dominate the rules of aesthetics of his time and the time of his predecessors. 3. Before Rodin, the origins: In art, as in life, nothing is born from nothing. And Rodin, our modern man, was constantly attracted to and influenced by the classics, the Renaissance and the Baroque. Michelangelo, for example, believed that in each block of marble there was a soul, a latent work, that he was trying to recover. In the case of David, the multiple fractures and faults that the block had were leading Michelangelo towards the final form of the sculpture. In Michelangelo's David, we see an image of tense tranquility where the hero appears in the moments before his confrontation with Goliath. David's body is that of a muscular man, not that of the boy that we see in the two previous versions of this sculpture made by Donatello and Verrocchio instead of appearing victorious, as in the previous two versions, David appears tense and ready for combat. His body is charged with a slight contrapposto, keeping his eyes fixed on his objective, frowning. In the High Renaissance, the contrapposto was considered a symbol of ancient sculpture, highly appreciated at the time, The David became the paradigm of Renaissance sculpture Thanks to this intelligent use of these aesthetic element. In this image, we see, on the other hand, Bernini's version of David. Unlike Michelangelo's David, we see a character in full action, in total effort and concentration. A basic difference between Renaissance and Baroque art. It needs from this stage of the Baroque that Rodin takes the naturalism of forms, materiality, and the way of transporting the chiaroscuro of the 2D from Caravaggio's painting, for example, to sculpture. As if there were no barriers between the different artistic disciplines. Because Bernini was a revolutionary, to begin with, he was the one who brought the work closer to the viewer, making him participate in the action, breaking the traditional boundaries of art. As a good baroque, he cherished movement. His garments, for example, no longer fall in large folds in the classic way, but he twists and deforms them to increase dynamism and agitation. The complex relationships between the sculpture and their surrounding space are also highly novel. Of course. Here, there is a difference that you will notice in Rodin's work. Bernini conceived many of them to be observed from a certain point. While Rodin knows that his sculptures will be observed from all possible angles. In this amazing, twisted contrapposto, Bernini managed to turn the marble into flesh. The figures seem to be alive, frozen for an instant in the frenzy of the fight. It is the third time that we speak of the term contrapposto. So it would be convenient to define it clearly. Also known as chiasmo It is an Italian term that designates the harmonic opposition of different parts of the body in the human figure, which provides a certain movement and contributes to breaking the law of frontality. This style of composition was also well-known by Antonio Canova, who 150 years after Bernini worked to transport the materiality, theme and structure to a polished Neoclassicism. It influenced the discipline of sculpture throughout Europe, remaining a reference through the 19th century, especially among the sculptors in the academic community. in his work, tactility is paramount. And it is from that perception that his sculptures are appreciated. For this reason, when referring to the contemplation of his ouvre we speak of the vision of the hands. Erors and Psyche is characterized by the transmission of erotism in this satined material and by its lines with a strong sense of direction and rhythm, as well as a masterful handling of marble. We also see a very present feature in the sculptor's work: polifocality. To contemplate the piece well, we must go through it in a succession of positions that alter and enrich our vision. A characteristic that our french sculptor will have very well-studied a 100 years later. In Rodin The influence of all these classics and neoclassicals is evident. But an experimental and audacious spirit is equally visible in him working in constant and radical innovation. It is said that in his studio workshop, it was striking to see naked models without posing and Rodin observing them in their freedom of movement and capturing them in their entirety. The sculptor used to say that An artist should not be a slave to the model. Perhaps that is why his work is so fluid, so alive and full of nuances. Francois Auguste René Rodin was born in Paris on November 12 1840, in a modest family in a house of the fifth district of the Parisian capital. In 1848, Rodin entered the school of the brothers of Christian doctrine. And in 1850 began to draw, after having left school for good. His interest in the arts was revealed at an early age, when he was 14 his father sent him to the Special Imperial School of drawing and mathematics, known as the Petite École He tried to enter the School of Fine Arts three times without success. For these reason, he began his career outside the institutional channels by studying anatomy with Antoine-Louis Barye at the National Museum of Natural History. isn't this good to know? even the greatest talents we know are forged in hard ways. After doing various works of decorative arts throughout his first creative years. It wasn't until 1875 that he began to work on one of his first great successes, the Bronze Age. As for other artists, there was a specific event that changed his life. The trip to Italy where he had the opportunity to meet the great Renaissance Masters. In a letter to Rose his long-term companion from Italy, Rodin wrote, you can't judge something at first glance, but you won't be surprised if I tell you that I've been studying Michelangelo since my first hour in Florence. And I think the great magician is revealing some of his secrets to me. Once back in Brussels, he finished the plaster of the Bronze Age that he exhibited in 1877, where he proved his own unlimited mastery over the body. One journalist wrote, the piece has a quality as rare as it is precious: life. Such vitality made the critics think that the molds had been assembled, taken directly from the body of the model and not from a clay made by the artist as must be done in the method of casting in bronze. This opinion raised rumors from which Rodin had to defend himself. Such an accusation was dishonorable for any sculptor. And Rodin had the help of Influential friends such as impressionist painter and a sculptor Edgar Degas managed to get out of the dispute. Not only victorious, but it would have fame that immediately placed him amongst the most important artists in Paris. The controversy surrounding the Bronze Age aroused great interest in Rodin. It seems surprising that someone who never studied at the Academy could sculpt such perfect shapes. in May 1880, the estate, bought the statue and from there, Rodin did not stop receiving commissions. To get into context a few years earlier in 1974, and against the Paris Salon a group of rebellious artists exhibited in the Parisian studio of Gaspard-Félix Tournachon known as Nadar among them were Monet, Pisarro, Renoir Degas, Cezanne Does it ring a bell? We're talking about the beginnings of the Salon des refusés the Hall of the rejected. During all that time, Rodin separated from the impressionists group and still living in Brussels, had dedicated much of his youth to accumulating knowledge about human anatomy than on more than one occasion earned him the envy and discontent of the sculptors recognized by the Academy of Fine Arts in Paris. This work, so famous today, recalls a tragic love of Paolo and Francesca in Dante's Divine Comedy, two characters who were killed by the girl's husband when he caught them kissing However, the artists realized that the sculptor actually conveyed happiness and sensuality. So he decided to turn it into an autonomous and independent work. And the public ended up baptizing it as The Kiss an abstract title that translates well into its universal character and symbolizes a triumph of pure passionate love. Rodin commented, love is a flower of life. As he posed a young couple in this pose in his studio to capture a realistic effect. The three Shades, completed three years later, were created with the intention of forming an assemble at the top of the gates of Hell, the most important commission in the artist's life. They are a repetition of The Shade, which in turn comes from the first study of Adam or the creation of man. But these three figures are much more contorted with a very pronounced neck tension and an explicit strenght on one axis, Rodin would literally change the concept of how language defines a sculpture, which went from being a selective and palpable imitation of nature to an art of amplifying and exaggerating the life represented. So why would it take him so long to be really recognized? He was 37 before he gained serious acclaim, and 40 before he gained his first public commission. Rodin worked according to the traditional method. In fact, his workshop was one of the last that can be considered as such. He used to work on the concept of the pieces on paper and then make the pieces in plaster, wax or clay. Once satisfied with the creation, His assistants were in charge of reproducing the work in plaster. from these molds It was possible to draw Marble Works or commissioned bronze castings, all under the supervision of the master. Parallel to his activity as a sculptor, Rodin drew living models at all times of his life as a common element of his graphic production. From 1890 on, his female models became omnipresent. The great success of his sculptures partly obscured his collection of paper, which has around 10 thousand drawings, most of which are preserved in the Museé Rodin archives. While much of his drawings were sketches for sculptures. There are also series that became works in their own right. Many of these cannot be considered preparatory studies because there is no a sculpture that was subsequently inspired by them. Consider for the time of minor importance with respect to the sculptures. They were unveiled on the occasion of the universal exhibition of the turn of the century. As the sculptor himself said, it's very simple. My drawings are the key to my work. Either in plaster, clay, or modelling paste Rodin's aesthetics make use of the non finite the unfinished. This term was introduced by Michelangelo in the 16th century, and refers to leaving a sculpture unfinished and not defining its limits. Critics have seen in such action a modern concept that opens the door to interpretation by the viewer. Rodin began to explore this style in 1880, giving his sculptures a particular transitory character as if the sculpture had abandoned that work in progress. Which gives the impression that the figure emerges little by little from a block. Plaster was Rodin's favorite material. It's malleability allowed the master to explore the forms and continue to perfect his creations. The so-called impossible positions of his work were due to the fact that the artists used to take parts of the body of different works and assemble them, giving life to a new sculpture. As in the example we see on the left, his plaster, I am beautiful of 1882. Rodin worked in plaster to criticize that neoclassical elitism that persisted in the art of his time, which considered marble as the only official method of good sculpture. When in reality, the first thing Rodin looked for in a sculpture was, is expressiveness regardless of anatomical rules. Even so, the plaster represents the first step of a piece before it is ordered to be cast in bronze or carved in marble. The lost-wax casting process has been used for over 5 thousand years. Although the techniques and materials have changed. The predilection for these method is due to its extreme fidelity to the original work, as well as its durability. The process consists of applying a malleable material to the sculpture made by the artist. This allows you to create a mold. Ductile fire resistent material is then inserted into the mold, allowing a duplicate of the original model to be made, which can be called first casting This will become the core of the final work. The thickness of the first casting is a slightly thinned and returned to the mold with metal nails that allow the core to remain in place. This creates a gap between the first Casting and the mold itself, which will be filled with the wax. After closing the mold, hot wax is poured between the first cast and the mold The result is, a piece with a core of refractory material covered in wax, which will be faithfully finished by hand and to which the artist's signature, the serial number and the stamp the foundry will commonly be incorporated. Ducts are built around the piece that will allow wax and air to escape. In the same way, the molten metal, in this case bronze. We'll be able to take the place of the wax in a uniform way to create the sculpture, a finely grained ceramic and plaster mixture is applied to the surface of the part and its ducts The molten bronze is then poured into the investment mold, where it will take the place of the wax. When everything cools down, the mold breaks and the metal appears. And exact work to the sculpture made by the artist. The remains of the ducks are removed so as not to leave any trace. This hand finished is called chiseled. When the chiseling in process is finished, a patina or thin layer of oxide is applied to the sculpture. That in addition to protecting Gives color and shine to the piece, the process expensive due to its handcrafted nature, is also very exciting to witness. 4. After Rodin, the revolution of sculpture: But one of my favorite pieces for its intricate detail and expression is the burghers of calais In his chronicle on the Siege of Calais Jean Froissart recounts: For King Edward the third of England, the French port of Calais was of great strategic importance. In September 1346, after the Battle of Crécy he directed a seige of the city. after several attempts, by the English to take the city, King Edward made the decision to starve the inhabitants of the city. When King Philip the Sixth of France withdrew his forces, the Maire of Calais offered the English king the capitulation of the city On the condition than the inhabitants could go free. King Edward refused outraged that a city that was about to fall And that had cost him so much time, men and money would dare to impose conditions. However, the king's own men pointed out that the cities only fault was having fought valiantly for its king. Finally, the king offered to respect the lives of the city's inhabitants, If six notable men instead surrounded to him along with the keys of the city, dressed in nightgowns and with a rope tied to their necks. This is how six prominent citizens volunteered and came out to hand over the keys and their lives. The queen, Phillipa of Henao took pity on them and begged the king for their life, who agreed and allowed them to flee to different cities in Picardy. Calais would remain in English hands until 1558. In the autumn of 1884 to municipality of Calais resumed the project for the creation of the monument as a tribute to illustrious citizens. A. Rodin Received the commission in 1885. And after almost four years of working on sketches, the sculpture was ready in 1888 with figures almost two meters high to finally be inaugurated in 1895. eleven years after Rodin presented the first model. Rodin developed the figures separately and used energetic men as models. He executed innumerable studies in different scales and attitudes of the men who would sacrifice themselves. The artist managed to capture a unique emotional state. Dramatist and heartbreak, the heroism marked in the action, and not necessarily in the character's features. In addition to expressive achievement, Rodin innovated by projecting the monument flush with the ground. So it can be seen from the human dimension. We observe tremulous faces clenched hands, screams and contained anguish. The teacher then pointed out, "I never hesitated to make them as thin, as weak as possible. They still wonder if they have the strength to take on the ultimate sacrifice. On August 16, 1880 Edmund Turquet undersecretary of public instructions and fine arts, commissioned a decorative door, representing Dante's Divine Comedy for the future museum of the creative arts. and arranged for Rodin a workshop in which he could work on this project. Baptized as The Gate of Hell The work represented the artist's greatest artistic challenge where he decided to unite not only two worlds, but two ways of seeing art, the ancient and the modern. From there, he derived his most emblematic sculptures, such as the thinker, The Kiss and Ugolino and his sons, sculptures that would be presented for the first time in a major exhibition in 1886. Although the project was cancelled, the artist worked on it until the end of his life. And it would eventually serve as a common thread between the movements of the late 19th and 20th centuries. In a small part of this ensemble appears one of the most applauded works of the artist, the thinker, who in principle was to be Dante himself. But given the individual expressiveness that he achieved, Rodin thought of creating an independent and a large sculpture that embedded all the creators in history. Due to its pose absorbed in thought and the of the muscles the figure evokes Not only creativity, but also the study of philosophy. Everything in this sculpture is thinking. It is the bodily manifestation of thinking. Rodin himself already said it. What makes my thinker think is that he thinks not only with his brain, but with his frown. He's distended nostrils. and his tight lips, with every muscle in his arms, back and legs with clenched fists and fingers. Seen at the top of the door. The three shades work on the principles contrary to the classical order. Compared, for example, to a possible representation of the three graces. Such as the ones made in 1813 by the sculptor Antonio Canova, Rodin shows us the same figure, altering the traditional idea of balance and symbolism through the arrangement of the bodies. This is how piece-by-piece, the gates of Hell are a total representation of the artist and of many of the individual works that would pass through his workshop. A workshop that by the turn of the century had about 50 assistants All were talented sculptors artists in their own right. Many of whom would come to make a name for themselves upon leaving the master's workshop. It must be considered that like many contemporaries, Rodin resorted to sculptors especially for commissions as large as the gates of Hell. The fact that the master was not the one who carved his pieces in marble, or was not the one who carried out the lost-wax process has been a source of criticism over time. Since many have questioned the originality of the work. However, it must be clarified that this practice was very common at the time. The concept of creation was entirely attributed to Rodin The master personally and constantly follow the entire process, and gave you instructions to the sculptor on how to modify the work according to his aesthetic conception. Individual sculptural motives are extracted from the general set of the work. At the door We find them embedded in a texture that could be called magmatic, whereas solidification of the bodies occure at the moment, the message is clear. "Lasciate ogni speranza voi ch'entrate" Leave all hope behind whoever enters. The old man, who met Delacroix when he was young, lived to an old age and long enough to converse with Matisse, Maillol And Brancusi. Also, in a surprising encounter, he was photographed by Diego Rivera. So involved in their artistic circle of the 1900s Paris, and who visited him along with a delegation of other Mexican artists in 1917, Auguste Rodin is accepted by consensus as a precursor of twentieth-century sculptural styles, rather than a nineteenth-century author. Something strange for artists of his time who used to go down in history generally posthumously in the last years of his life. Rodin reaped the fruits of his work, being awarded several recognitions. He was elected President of the International Society of painters, sculptors and engravers in 1904 the Universities of Jena, Glasgow and Oxford honored him with an honorary doctorate in 1905, 06, and 07, respectively. The municipality of Rome celebrated him on the capitol. And the society of Young Czech Artists awarded him royal honors in Prague. The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York opened a room dedicated to the artist in 1912 while he was still alive And well. There is a common saying that behind every great man, there is a great woman. In this case, that woman is Camille Claudel Camille Claudel was a sculptress among the sources and inspiration for her work, were, as for Rodin himself, Donatello, Cellini, and Greco-Roman classic representations of mythology. It was not an easy task for a woman to become an artist in the mid 19th century. She had to cope with moral prejudice and gender-related restrictions in her artistic training, as well as the prevailing male dominance in the ministry of Fine Arts and Salon juries. Oh, and she also had to deal with a tumultuous affair with Auguste Rodin. As in many artists stories' The role of the Muse has been romanticized to the point where it seems almost natural or expected that Rodin would find inspiration in his young assistant. But for Claudel, Rodin's shadow was too long and these became a love-hate relationship. She loved her teacher, but she hated him for receiving all the public recognition, constant commissions and praise. There was another problem, Rodin had been in a relationship with Rose Beuret for the last 20 years. And he didn't want to leave her. Claudel after having had an abortion in 1892 ended the intimate aspect of their relationship with Rodin although they saw each other regularly until 1898. But the talent she showed in her work was beyond any romantic affairs she was involved in. Camille always wanted to become an artist. She attended classes at the Académie Colarossi because the most prestigious École des Beaux-Arts did not admit women at the time. When Rodin received his major commissions in early 1880s, he gathered a team of assistants to work alongside with him in his studio. Camille turned up in the artist's wirking studio as a young 19-year-old student around 1884, when he was 44. While working for him, she spent most of her time on complex pieces, such as the hands and feet of figures for monumental sculptures, including the famous the gates of Hell Here, in a personal piece Claudel is inspired by Hokusai's “The Great Wave” for these wonderful sculptural ensemble of three bathers holding hands crouching before a wave that is coming over them. As we've said before, the influence of Japanese engraving is evident in the history of modern art. Impressionism drew directly from this enchanting oriental drawings. And Claudel, who was part of the art scene of the time always wanted to pay tribute to these exotic and attractive technique. Sadly, as a woman and pupil of one of the most important artists of France at the time, Claudel could not get the funding to get many of her daring ideas realized. In many cases because of their explicit sensuality. Thus, she was forced to depend either on Rodin or collaborate with him and let him get the full credit. The sculptress left a body of work of overwhelming talent. Her naturalism had traits of impressionism and symbolism. Always looking for the emotion that is translated into drama. Thanks to a perfect mastery of techniques and her enormous sensitivity. Thanks to her, it was shown that it is possible to sculpt emotion. In this sculptural ensemble Camille is shown kneeling and suplicating before her break with Auguste named sometimes L'Implorante For her pleading nature. She directs her hands towards Rodin, who turns his back to her while a woman, half angel half witch representing Rose Beuret takes him away, the ultimate winner. Today you can find one of the bbronze versions at the Musee d'Orsay in Paris. Her brother would later write. My sister Camille, imploring, humiliated on her knees is superb. She's proud and she knows what is escaping her. At that very moment, in front of her eyes. It is her soul. After the break between Camille Claudel and Rodin, the later tried to help Camille indirectly and obtained a state commission for her from the director of Fine Arts. after Rodin saw the age of maturity for the first time in 1899, he reacted with shock and anger. As such, he suddenly stopped his support for Claudel completely. He even may have put pressure on the Ministry of Fine Arts to cancel the funding for the bronze commissions she would get in 1902. While her works achieved some success and articles about her appear frequently in art magazines. In the midst of an emotional crisis, Camille locks herself in her studio, withdraws from the world, and in December 1905 holds her last major exhibition. After that, she destroyed many of her statues Went missing for extended periods of time, Exhibited signs of paranoia, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia. She accused Rodin of stealing her ideas and of leading a conspiracy to kill her. Her family interned her in an asylum. The hospital staff regularly proposed to Camille's mother and brother to discharge Claudel but they adamantly refused each time. Camille Claudel died on October 1943, after having lived 30 years in the asylum. But it is encouraging to think that the artist managed to find her artistic autonomy. And in 2017, a museum dedicated to her in the Champagne region was opened. Medardo Rosso and Constantine Brancusi to whom we will dedicate a special class, can be considered precursors of many of the aspects of modern sculpture after Rodin, from a technical, formal, and conceptual point of view, their sculptures directly confronts aspects that will later occupy the work of indisputable references in 20th century sculpture in their ideas about space, the materiality of a sculpture, and the production process, they advanced essentially modern concepts. Rosso, for example, worked by modelling in clay, which was immediately put into plaster to then make the final work in wax or bronze. Omitting the drawing and avoiding making additions of his work, which are unique pieces. Brancusi, for his part, rejected a direct invitation to join Rodin's workshop. Considering that a seed cannot grow in the shade of a great tree, and what reason he had! Since he went further as an independent artist. While Rodin employed numerous assistants to cast or carve his sculptures. Brancusi preferred to create his with his own hands, establishing an intimate connection with the materials. In most cases, through direct carving. Rodin teaches us, as he did with all those young artists about the beauty of imperfection, about preserving the rough in our art, and respecting the power of the unfinished. That refusal to hide the the truth of his materials became a trademark for a body of work that was already revolutionary, in vision and execution. And these are only some of the many ways Rodin would influence generations of artists who have followed in his footsteps. Did he capture your imagination? Do you think he's still relevant and revitalizing. Let me know in the comments. Thanks so much for joining me in yet another art history lesson. And see you next time. 5. Conclusion english rodin: When learning about the history of art, it is very important to connect the artists that we're learning about with the techniques and ideas of the past. This applies especially in Rodin's case, who was this bridge between the ancient and the modern. In the document that you will find in the class project, you will find a series of comparisons between images. Identify which image was Rodin, and which image was his inspiration Thank you very much for being here in this art history lesson and see you next time.