The Groninger Museum calls Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) the greatest and most influential sculptor of modern times. But why is the French Rodin so important, even a hundred years after his death? What actually makes him a ‘genius’? And how can you actually learn to observe sculpture? Kunstspot asks the curator of the exhibition Rodin - Genius at Work, Suzanne Rus. This is ‘Rodin for Dummies’, the guide for the Rodin uninitiated.
Those who think they will only find a collection of sculptures in the exhibition are wrong. Rodin - Genius at Work also shows the creative process behind the sculptures. Suzanne Rus: ‘Many people are not familiar with the creation process and use of materials in sculpture. With paintings, this is obvious, but sculpture is a whole other line of work.’ Rodin used a variety of materials in the creation process of his sculptures. By showing different stages of the process and associated materials in the exhibition, Rodin's typical working method is highlighted. Rus: ‘Material was also very important to Rodin throughout his career. It helped him experiment, fragment, enlarge and assemble, not just in plaster and clay, but also in marble and bronze.’
‘He didn’t create the sculptures himself’
When you look at Rodin's works in the exhibition, the impossibly large scale of all the actions and items involved in the entire working process begins to dazzle you. How does one artist get all this done? Rus reveals Rodin's secret: ‘The bronze and marble sculptures, and also the plaster ones in many cases, he did not make himself: he had several workers for that. Many people don't know this, which is precisely why emphasis is placed on Rodin's studio and how large his workshop was.’ Rodin worked in his studio with a team (about 50 people in 1900) consisting of models, plaster casters, bronze casters and other handy types. As an artist and entrepreneur, Rodin himself was ultimately responsible for converting clay models into other materials. He came up with the form and then his assistants handled other phases of the creation process.
Rodin and his team were able to produce a lot of work together. One hundred years after Rodin's death, this working method actually still exists. This partly explains Rodin's great legacy. Rus: ‘Musée Rodin still has the right to have casts made of some sculptures: this is not very common in sculpture, but common for Rodin. They are the income for Musée Rodin; they make their living from selling bronze casts.’
‘In some sculptures, the back is even more spectacular than the front’
Viewing works on a wall is something that the average culture buff is familiar with by now. But an entire exhibition full of sculptures requires a slightly different way of looking at things. As a flesh-and-blood human being, how do you deal with so many — often gigantic — human forms, which are 3D objects in a space just like you? Rus: ‘Sculptures should be seen from all sides. In some sculptures, the back is even more spectacular than the front. So pay particular attention to the details: what many people don't know is that Rodin wrote and drew on his sculptures. But also the finishing touches, or just the choice of Rodin to finish something or leave it unfinished are elements that you can take into account when viewing.’
Have you become curious about the texture of plaster, or would you like to squeeze the nose of that bronze sculpture? You can't help it either. In The Art of Sculpture, a kind of bible on sculpture from the 1950s, the British art critic Herbert Read argued that viewing sculptures simply invites touch. This, according to Read, is caused by the physical aspects of sculpture, such as mass and volume. In general, you only touch sculptures with your imagination, but at the Groninger Museum, a space has been set up where you can ‘really’ touch Rodin's materials and small replicas. Rus: ‘We added the element of feeling replicas and tactile panels to give people a chance to become a little familiar with the different materials and shapes as Rodin used them.’
Viewing sculptures invites touch
A genius, according to the Van Dale, is someone with extraordinary gifts. But not all artists are simply christened geniuses, no matter how skilled and creative they are. According to Rus, several factors contribute to Rodin's genius. Rus: ‘Rodin was an artist who was very innovative for his time. He stepped away from the classical academy and struck out on a whole new path. The diversity in his work and the urge to improve and innovate makes Rodin an extraordinary artist. I think the genius is in the way he created his sculptures: they didn't have to be perfect or finished to be considered a complete sculpture. Sculpture therefore became an art form that was always in a kind of transitional state.’
And indeed, the longer you stand looking, the more you see incomplete or enlarged elements in Rodin's work. By showing imperfections in an otherwise unnaturally perfect body, the images seem ‘more-human-than-human’ and at the same time very recognisable. Rus explains why Rodin is still of interest to a 21st-century audience: ‘Especially now, there is a great emphasis on man, the nude, his self-image and how we exist in society. Rodin also played with these elements in his time, and the sculptures are therefore very recognisable. The emotions and stories that the sculptures express can also be placed in the present; we can identify with Rodin's sculptures.’
The exhibition Rodin - Genius at Work will be on display at the Groninger Museum until 30 April 2017.
Text: Karlijn Vermeij
Photos: Marten de Leeuw © Groninger Museum