Rodin in (un)likely places

"All my life I have drawn...in fact I started my life drawing" - Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). 

The drawings of Rodin, Capturing the Model can be seen at the Musée Rodin until 1 April, 2012. The  permanent collection is closed whilst The hôtel Biron undergoes renovation. His sculptures though can still be seen in the gardens of the museum and in some other interesting places.
In fact, since I saw the poster for this exhibit in the underground,  I am seeing his work and copies of his work in the most unlikely places.

The exhibiton goes from his earlier black drawings 'dessins noirs', inspired by Dante's Inferno to graphite sketches, his use of assemblage as a precursor to his sculptures, and the use of stumping and colour in the latter part of his life.
The man who is probably better known as a sculptor was a prolific sketch artist. Of the 10,000 drawings and sketches in existence, Musée Rodin houses 7,000.


His instantaneous drawings 'les dessin instantanés' a series of drawings that were drawn without the artist taking his eyes of the model, captured his models in motion, cementing the artist's fascination with the freedom of movement. Between 1890 and 1896 he drew a series of these instantaneous drawings of the female form in poses that may have been considered risqué by that time's standards.
The artist's work celebrated the female form in all aspects. Caroline Rémy (1855-1929), socialist, feminist and the first female journalist in France -  better known under the pen name Sévérine said of Rodin "Non other than the recently departed Master better captured the female form."

A walk around the gardens of Musée Rodin

With the Eiffel Tower in the background

On exhibit are the compositions of his assemblage, the process whereby he cut out and destroyed completed drawings.  He revisited his works, transforming them from the re-asssembled paper drawings and compositions to sculptures.
Drawings showing his progressive use of colour from around 1906 to the latter part of his life when his work made more use of stumping is all exhibited in a series of graphite drawings. This exhibition is definitely worth a visit, for an entirely new perspective of Rodin's work.
More images here.


Musée Rodin
77 rue de Varenne
75007, Paris