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Auguste Rodin
1884
Musée
Rodin,
Paris
Oil on
canvas
28 3/4
x 20 7/8 in.
signed
"_____
_____ John S. Sargent 1884"
(the
first two words
I can't make out
Jpg: ebay
Auguste Rodin
(French Sculptor, 1840-1917),
the most recognized important sculptor of the nineteenth century. Born
of a modest family and rejected by the dignified Ecole
des Beaux-Arts, he was largely self taught. Working as an
apprentice
and with other sculptures he quickly established his own work.
Understanding his
own vision pretty
quickly, between 1872 and 1885 Rodin worked prodigiously until he
established
his reputation. By 1884 he was coming into his own and was becoming
quite
famous though very much still daring, controversial, and modern. He had
many detractors and was a difficult personality in public; but he also
had a handful of powerful supporters in the arts which understood his
genius.
He would win five of France's largest commissions for monuments during
the 1880s and 1890s; and would eventually produce a vast oeuvre of
drawings
and small sculptures that very much still resonate today.
His innovations in
form and subject
matter established his reputation as the first master of modern
sculpture.
His most famous work is probably The Thinker, although there is
virtually countless others.
Rodin was a good
friend of Paul Helleu
and it may have been through Helleu that Sargent met Rodin. In
February
of '84 both Rodin and Sargent were invited to exhibit at the inaugural
exhibition of the Sosciété des Vingts (LesXX) in
Brussels [1]. This
painting may have been
during that time.
Notes:
1) Some other
American artists that
exhibited at the Sosciété des Vingts (LesXX)
were Whistler, and William Merrit
Chase.
- See the year
in
review 1883-1884
- There are a
number
of outstanding sites
on Rodin
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