Rodin: The supreme artist

Gwen Herat

ART: The greatest sculptor the world ever knew, Francoise-Auguste-Rene Rodin created a new sculptural language that was realistic, physical and highly charged with emotion and conveyed to an awed world a sexuality more challenging than ever before.

He was so passionate and demanding that whole personality charged into his sculpture. His spectacular genius made him the supreme artist of the Romantic Age. He even over-shadowed Michelangelo and Raphael though centuries apart.

Rodin was born for art and art alone. As a child, he was able to convince his father about his passion for art and got himself enroled at the Ecole Imperial which was first established in 1763 by Louis XV. It was a non-paying institution and later became Ecole National des Arts Dcoratfs.

Rodin acquired much from its director, Hilaire Belloc who urged his pupils to work directly from nature and that natural light brings out form to best advantage. As he started other young people about his age, Paris became his obsession as a vast study arena for Rodin who was hungry for knowledge.

In a hurry to grasp every opportunity Paris offered, his days were busy and rewarding. Rodin spent the afternoons in Louvre studying and copying ancient sculpture as well as consulting references works because Rodin knew that artistic skills alone were not enough.

He was keen to fill the intellectual literacy gaps though he never had a formal education. He read Victor Hugo as well as historian, Jules Michelete and several great poets. By now, Rodin was ready for the feel of sculpture. His hand were supple and his fingers flexible.

Vocation

As a first year student, he still knew nothing of sculpture and discovered it quite by chance when one day he pushed open the door to the modelling room. Immediately he realised where his vocation lay and where his dreams stood still for discovery. As he touched the clay, he was later to say: ‘For the first time I saw clay, and felt as if I were ascending into heaven’.

Thus began his great relationship with the medium through which he was destined to be the world’s greatest sculptor. Blessed with dexterity and the speed with which he worked, he found sculpture synonymous with modelling.

In 1857 Rodin was awarded two first prizes for drawing after antiques which opened the doors for his entry to Ecole des Beaux-arts. However, he was turned down three times.

Disillusioned but not discovered, Rodin abandoned his studies to become an architectural sculptor. By then his father had retired on a small pension and Rodin was asked to make a contribution towards the family finances. Sister, Maria had already been working for some years selling devotional stuff in a shop.

In 1853 Paris experienced a traumatised transformation initiated by Napolean III and planned by Baron Hausemann who was the minister for the local capital until 1870. The improvements in the city involved numerous statues while workshops sprang to supply the needs for stone ornaments.

Sculpture went hand in hand with architectural programmes. It was hard for Rodin as he drifted from one place to another. Along with his colleagues, they tried their hands at anything they came across.

However, Rodin seized every opportunity to pursue on his dream as he worked late into night after a hard day’s work. He made models after his family members to gain experience.

Death

Rodin suffered a set-back when his beloved sister, Maria entered a convent after a disappointment in love. She had lost the will to live and died few weeks taking her vows as a nun. So shaken was Rodin that he chose the path of his sister, joined the Fathers of the Holy Sacrament under the name of Brother Augustus.

Father Pierre Eyemard realised that the monastic life was not for Rodin. He encouraged Rodin to draw and to model sensing this was the way to get him out of the order. He was right and soon Rodin returned to normal life. He did not go back to his parents. For the first time he found himself independent.

In 1864 he worked as never before in his studio word got around that the messiah of sculpture had arrived. There was no turning back.

In 1864 he met a seamstress, the twenty-year-old Rose Beuret with whom he fell in love. Fearing his parents would reject her, Rodin did not introduce her until the birth of their son two years later.

He did not legally adopt their son, August Rodin, neither did he marry Rose until two weeks before her death in 1917. But he had lived with his devoted Rose for 53 happy years. Rose as beautiful as she was, the model for most of his sculptures including the famous Bacchante.

Rodin had many passionate affairs with beautiful, powerful and wealthy women but his painful break with Camille Claude, made a new beginning in his life. He was financially secure and promoted his work. He used the remaining strength to create a museum to bring together all his sculptures and other collections.

Rodin was solitary before fame came to him and the fame that he acquired, rendered him solitary more than ever. That is what his famous hands revealed.

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