Auguste Rodin Artistic Context and Biography Essay

Francois-Auguste-Rene-Rodin alias Rodin was a French artist born in November 1840 and died in November 1917. He was from a humble background in Paris. He is known for his sculptures that were made using clay and metal. He was good at drawing as well and belonged to the impressionist art movement, which had primarily centered its operations in Paris. Rodin did not excel in academics but while in school, he used to practice art by drawing and modeling using clay. He tried enrolling in France's most valuable school in art, but he was rejected severally (Artble, 1-8). He, however, got a chance to develop his skills when he was hired to work in a commercial art workshop.

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Rodin had a unique style of art that enabled him to blossom further in his career. The technique improved day by day. There was no formal education for him as it was in the case of his predecessors who had a chance to undergo training. He, however, worked with his common sense and in the long run, he was one of the most sought-after artists. He was an amazing sculptor. He began working on his work in his early years by exhibiting a sculpture of a man with a broken nose. He later went to Brussels where he came up with an Age of Bronze sculpture (Butler, 161-167). In his middle age, he came up with the gates of hell sculpture, which is one of his famous works. He had a unique skill in rendering the human figure, which placed him a notch higher from his competitors. His earlier works were based on focusing his education and the works of the trained artists.

He later drew inspiration from previous great sculptors. He was inspired by a multitude of artist across Europe that he interacted with during his travels. He also got inspiration from literature just like other artists. Rodin's infamous sculpture called "Gates of Hell" is believed to be a symbolism of Dante,s poem The Devine Comedy of the 12th C. The Flowers of Evil of 1857 is another piece of literature that inspired Rodin in his art. Similarly, the ancient works by other artist were some form of inspiration to him. He visited Italy in 1875 signaling that he had the chance to have a glimpse of some of the famous arts in history that are located in Rome. His works since then changed in appearance and decency as well. The Age of Bronze together with John the Baptist preaching are a clear indication of his newly acquired skill. He was a fast learner in that just from observation he could master a technique and apply it in his works. He got the idea of the Age of Bronze from an earlier sculptor known as Michelangelo and up to date, Rodin's works are usually compared to the latter's works. Claudel Camille (Butler, 161-167) was a female artist, but unfortunately, most people do not recognize her as one. She is mostly known to be Rodin's mistress while in the real sense, she was a good artist and a mentor and a form of inspiration to him. She had the brains behind his most famous works like the kiss.

Rodin also served as a form of inspiration to some artists. He mentored many artists. He was an influential sculptor during his lifetime, and up to date, his works are used to demonstrate the power of art. He garnered both literary followers who admired his work and artist who worked under his helm and were able to learn the necessary skills. Despite all these, it is unfortunate that present-day scholars and artist rarely acknowledge his works. A young German poet called Maria who was a fan of his work approached him, and in the process, they were able to form a bond that enabled them to work together. The poet was entrusted with scripting of the monographs while Rodin did the sculpturing. Mirbeau who was a known novelist and an art critic of his time surprisingly supported Rodin's approach to art, and that was added advantage to him. The recommendation from the novelist increased his fan base not only in Paris but also to the outside world. Despiau was Rodin's follower and even assisted him in his works (Yarrington et al. 93-96). He later mastered the art learning from his boss after which he joined the army. Immediately world war was over; he was back to sculpturing displaying the much passion he had in the art. He eventually worked his way out and a chance to show case his abilities later. Hoffman was an American but lived in Italy. She, later on, moved to Paris to learn to sculpture from Rodin. He used his reasoning and convinced Hoffman to fly back to the US and study medicine. Hoffman used to create sculptures and used them to show anatomical structures and features of human beings. Rodin was a form of inspiration to many from all parts of the world. Some of Rodin's famous works include the Monument to Balzac, which was meant to honor one of France's most famous Novelist. This is an indication that Rodin had interest in literature and history as well despite not being good in academics. His other sculpture was that of St. John the Baptist preaching. The man must have been very religious if he had the idea that John was a preacher. His other pieces of work like The Man with the Broken Nose, The thinker, The kiss, The Three Shades and The Walking Man among many others were to convey specific messages from literature or were part of the honor. Individuals like Rodin played a vital role in the evolution of art.

Works Cited

Artble. "Auguste Rodin." Auguste Rodin artistic context and biography, 2018, file:///C:/Users/user/Desktop/Auguste%20Rodin%20_%20artble.com.html

Butler, Ruth. "Nationalism, and A New Seriousness Rodin: Some Thoughts About French Sculpture in the 1870's. Scultura Nel Xix Secolo / (c.i.h.a. Comite International D'histoire De L'art). A Cura Di Horst W. Janson. 161-167.

Yarrington, Alison. "[rezension Von:] Rodin: The Zola of Sculpture. - Aldershot: Ashgate, et al. Sculpture Journal / Publ. by the Public Monuments and Sculpture Association. 93-96.