"My principle is to imitate not only form but life." - Auguste Rodin |
Our spring exhibition focuses on art in its purest form, as it examines the work of one of the most important figures in the art world, the French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840 - 1917). The words "master" and "masterpiece" have lost some of their currency through sloppy, careless overuse. Not so in this case.
 | | Auguste Rodin, Head of Shade (Detail), Modeled about 1880, Musee Rodin Cast II/IV in 1995; 26 1/2 X 14 1/4 X 15 1/2 in. Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation. |
Ask anyone, expert or not, to name the most influential sculptors in the history of art. Rodin will indubitably appear in the most exclusive of short lists. He is considered a master because he contributed new concepts to the world of sculpture, expanding the artistic language into new directions, and because he had a significant impact on many followers, leaving a profound legacy whose importance has only increased with the passage of time.
The exhibition includes 36 bronze sculptures and maquettes from the renowned Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation's collection and presents them within the context of the artist's written and spoken statements. Unlike other artists, who spoke only through their art, Rodin's opinion was solicited often and generously given. Rodin: In His Own Words, Selections from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, offers visitors a unique opportunity to contrast the sculptor's artworks with his views on art, what artists do, or what he was trying to achieve when he created a certain piece. In a way, it is as if the artist himself is giving his very own, intensely personal guided tour of the exhibition.
Given Rodin's popularity, some of the artworks on display such as "The Thinker" will be immediately familiar to the viewer. However, it is precisely because of this assumed familiarity that it is important that we revisit and rethink them. How many of us, for example, are aware that "The Thinker" was only one of the figures for Rodin's monumentally complex artwork "The Gates of Hell," which, in turn, was inspired by another masterpiece, Dante's "Divine Comedy"? Others, such as "Torso of Despairing Adolescent," are less familiar, but equally fascinating. The exhibition also includes Rodin books and letters offering further insight into the master's thinking.
 | | Auguste Rodin, The Night (Double Figure), Modeled after 1898, Musee Rodin, Cast I/IV in 1983; 10 1/4 X 6 X 6 in. Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation. | Rodin: In His Own Words, Selections from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, offers each visitor the opportunity to explore the French sculptor's intimate view of the human form, to admire his vigorous modeling technique, and to reflect on what constitutes mastery in art. Since Rodin is universally renowned, visitors may bring to the exhibition a predisposition, an anticipation of being awed. However, the one-on-one experience remains essential, irreplaceable, and there are countless discoveries to be made in it. Nothing would have displeased Rodin more than to have his work judged solely through the opinions of experts. He wanted his art to be directly available, challenging, moving. We invite our visitors to assume their role to the fullest, to look, read, think, absorb, and reach their own conclusions. The artist would have expected nothing less.
Rodin: In His Own Words, Selections from the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation is organized and made possible by the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation. Its Stamford showing is also made possible, in part, by the Connecticut Commission on Culture and Tourism.
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