By Chung Ah-young
Staff reporter
Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) is arguably the most influential and revolutionary sculptor in modern art. Associated with realism, his works reflect emotions, celebrating character and individuality.
The French sculptor's masterpieces have made their way from Paris to Seoul for the special exhibition at the Seoul Museum of Art. Some 180 works ― 110 sculptures and 40 sketches and drawings made by Rodin throughout the decades ― on loan from the collection of the Rodin Museum are being shown.
The exhibition ``Hand of God: Rodin Retrospective''is the first major retrospective in Korea and shows a wide spectrum of his artistic styles through his career.
``By organizing this exhibition in Korea, the Rodin Museum fulfills its mission of disseminating internationally Rodin's work with the concern that his knowledge can be shared and enriched by the viewing and understanding of many visitors from other cultures and other civilizations,'' Dominique Vieville, director of the Rodin Museum in Paris, said in his celebration statement.
The Rodin exhibition in Seoul is likely to attract around 550,000 to 600,000 visitors in its nearly four-month run, according to the organizers. This is part of a series of exhibitions organized by the Hankook Ilbo, sister company of The Korea Times, of great artists, such as Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh and Pierre Auguste Renoir.
``Rodin was solitary before he was famous. And fame, when it arrived, made him much more solitary,'' Rainer Maria Rilke, poet and Rodin's secretary, once put it.
Like many artists in history, the French sculptor was also appreciated late after going unnoticed in his early years for his revolutionary styles.
Often labeled the ``hand of god'' for his masterful sculptors that capture the tension and emotions of human beings, the artist was born the son of an inspector of the Prefecture of Police in Paris in 1820.
As a child, he was not good at reading and writing, and began receiving art instruction at the age of 14. He found his artistic calling in sculpture, saying, ``For the first time I saw sculptor's clay I felt I was ascending into heaven.''
However, when he presented his work on the European art scene at the age of 37, he was harshly criticized mainly because of his blatant depiction of the human body in ``The Age of Bronze,'' shown in Belgium. The sculpture was scandalous and controversial but eventually built up his reputation.
Rodin gradually began to receive recognition in his forties, at the same time, started to create such masterpieces as ``The Thinker (1882),'' ``The Kiss (1886)'' and ``The Burghers of Calais (1895).''
All in all, he became one of the greatest artists in the 20th century, who turned lifeless objects such as soil and stone into vital and rich creations for all time.
Camille Claudel (1864-1943) is inseparable when it comes to Rodin's art and life. Rodin first met her in 1882 where she was a student at the workshop of his friend. Claudel is known as the love of Rodin but she was also a great artist who demonstrated originality from an early age.
She was beautiful, intelligent and vibrant, which made Rodin fall in love with her and also became his source of inspiration, bringing out in him a particular theme of love and instilling in him a sense for women. Claudel maintained her intimate relationship with Rodin from 1883 for 20 years.
Rodin's such provocative works as ``The Eternal Idol,'' ``The Kiss,'' ``Crouching Woman,'' and ``I am beautiful and Iris: Messenger of the Gods'' were created when he was intensively involved with Claudel. Rodin and Claudel ended their relation around 1892-1893 but maintained correspondence until 1898. However, Rodin concentrated on his work in the 1900s while she developed mental problems and was hospitalized for 30 years before her death.
The exhibition explores the artist's most famous works which are part of the permanent collection of the Rodin Museum in Paris. Among his masterpieces are ``Hand of God,'' ``The Thinker'' and ``The Kiss,'' which are shown for the first time outside of the Rodin Museum.
``Hand of God,'' also known as ``Creation,'' has been on display only for those who visit the Rodin Museum as a part of the permanent collection. The piece has left Paris to be exhibited in Seoul. This work is a marble sculpture of a gigantic hand holding nude figures. In this work, Rodin rejected conventional methods and instead resorted to his imagination. The hand holds a rough stone in which a pair of nude figures is finely sculptured. This work is highly expressive and highlights the stark contrast between the smoothly polished part and the intact roughness of the marble.
Sensuality, eroticism and passion, were strong themes in his work. In ``The Kiss,'' two figures are portrayed in a passionate embrace. The two figures were originally meant to represent Paolo and Francesca, characters from Italian poet Dante's ``Divine Comedy.'' This huge plaster sculpture shows Rodin's mastery in the expression of eroticism.
Arguably, Rodin's most representative work is ``The Thinker,'' which was originally intended to show Dante contemplating his work. The sculpture depicts a man in a meditative pose. It was Rodin's first work displayed in a public place, in front of the Pantheon in April 1906. The sculpture was later moved to the garden of the Rodin Museum. The plaster statue executed by Rodin is on display here for the first time. Unlike the same piece in bronze, which is more familiar than the plaster one, the work might offer an opportunity to appreciate the two different charms.
In addition to these masterpieces, his other works such as ``The Age of Bronze,'' ``The Gates of Hell,'' ``Crouching Woman,'' ``Iris, Messenger of the Gods,'' ``Rodin's Hand'' and ``Eternal Spring'' are being shown.
Rodin widely known for his sculptures was also good at drawing the human body in motion. He produced sculptures based on his careful observations of real models. Rodin made some 10,000 drawings, extensively using charcoal, watercolor and oil paint to capture the specific dynamics of the human body. The works on paper show how gifted Rodin was as a draughtsman as well as a sculptor.
About 30 drawings are presented in the exhibition depicting the beauty of movement of the female body, all having individual value as sketches. These works portray the acrobatic movements of real models and the moment, which are the key to understanding his sculptures.