I consider that the concept of every work of art has two aces: the first one is correspondence to reality, and the second one is a reflection of the author’s subjective perception of the world. Some works of art reflect reality with incredible authenticity and impress a viewer with an artist’s mastery; as well, some works distort reality and focus on an artist’s inner world, highlighting his ideas about things around him. However, when talking about Auguste Rodin’s sculptures, I can say that his works of art are at the very top in both dimensions: they are incredibly realistic and at the same time filled with the spirit of the artist’s philosophy.
The sculpture The Kiss (Rodin 1881-82) shows a viewer an enamored man and a woman who interlaced with one another, embraced by an outburst of passion. The poses of the figures are expressive, but at the same time very tender. The sculpture in the garden is made of bronze, which adds some inner power to the figures: the memorial to the high feeling has obtained its earthly embodiment in metal.
However, this sculpture has interested me very much, and later I have found some additional information about it. I think that the material used for the original sculpture has also become a tool for Rodin to express his idea: light marble is very pure and noble, like a feeling of love is. Another interesting fact is that Rodin’s model for this work of art was his beloved woman Camille Claudel. Thus, The Kiss is not only the embodiment of Rodin’s perception of the notion of love; it turns out to be the author’s revelation, a very intimate reflection of his feelings.
I enjoy learning new facts about the relations between an Artist and his Muse, as these stories are always very fascinating: I recollect the stories of Salvador Dali and his Gala, Pablo Picasso, and his females who inspired him to change the style of his paintings several times. Thus, I am very excited that Rodin’s sculpture is also an example of embodying a love story between a sculptor and his muse.
Another work that has impressed me very strongly is The Thinker (Rodin 1880-81). Rodin has depicted Dante Alighieri pondering over his masterpiece, The Divine Comedy (Alighieri 2007). I think it is very indicative, as The Divine Comedy is a bridge between the epochs of the Middle Ages and Renaissance and thus can be considered a symbol of enlightenment. However, the figure does not look like a man from the 13th-14th century: Rodin depicts a generalized image of a Thinker. In this sculpture, Rodin glorifies the phenomenon of Ideas born by the mental effort of a human. It is a very good idea to make the Thinker free of peculiarities of the medieval appearance: the notion of Idea is universal for all epochs.
The sculpture is made of bronze, and I think that this material fits the idea of the work very well. As well, I like that Rodin has depicted the Thinker as a strong man, with power filling his muscles: this power symbolizes a human’s mental strength. Rodin has depicted every detail of a man’s body, it looks incredibly lively.
Thus, these two works are the embodiment of two pillars of a human’s essence: thinking and feeling. I am impressed with how Rodin has managed to show these intangible matters in solid material. These works are not similar to many other sculptures which are focused on demonstrating a sculptor’s skills of depicting a body, which is nothing more than moving along the first axis mentioned by me in the very beginning. Using his outstanding artistic skills, Rodin expresses his ideas in The Kiss and The Thinker, fusing reality and his personal view of the world, and this is what has impressed me most of all about these magnificent works.
Bibliography
Alighieri, Dante. The Divine Comedy of Dante. Trans. Henry W. Longfello. S.I.: Nu Vision Publications, 2007. Print.
Roden, Auguste. The Kiss. 1881-82. Cantor Arts Center, Stanford. Web.
Roden, Auguste. The Thinker. 1880-81. Cantor Arts Center, Stanford. Web.