Across the Ages

Rodin with his collection of ancient sculpture, c. 1910

In "Combining Two Loves", I wrote about Auguste Rodin's affinity for ancient Greek sculpture. Visiting the Rodin Museum in Paris, one can see clearly the influence of the ancients on Rodin's own work. Rodin assembled his own collection of Greco Roman forms and fragments, which he kept close at hand for inspiration. In fact, the way that Rodin drew from the  ancients to create a completely modern genre was one of my strongest impressions from the museum. I can't articulate my reaction with perfect clarity, but I can say that my heart and mind leapt up when I saw how a creative genius like Rodin was able to grasp the souls of great work by early masters, and embody them in a revolutionary new work that is entirely his own. 

Left: Parthenon
Right: Rodin

When I visited the Rodin Museum, I scribbled down this quote from Rodin: "I have built a collection of mutilated gods and ancient sculptures. I spend time with them and they
teach me. I like this language of antiquity, which is closer to nature than any other." Yes. There is something about the purity of the ancient forms that is true and natural.

Left: Parthenon
Right: Rodin

I learned that Rodin first visited the British Museum in 1881, and was captivated by the antiquities there, especially the sculptures of the Parthenon. Rodin returned to the British Museum repeatedly throughout his lifetime, sketching (among other things) the Parthenon sculptures. The Greek sculptor Pheidias was a particular inspiration to Rodin.  Just imagine the time lapse--Rodin was sculpting in the 20th century, and one of his "muses" was working on the Parthenon in about 435 BC. That's a 24 century span!

Rodin, sketch of Parthenon frieze

Now there's a special exhibit coming to the British Museum that will explore this relationship. It's entitled "Rodin and the Art of Ancient Greece", and opens April 26, 2018.  Thanks to a collaboration with the Rodin Museum in Paris, the exhibit will show sculpture by Rodin alongside the Parthenon sculptures that he admired. Some of the sketches Rodin executed at the British Museum will also be included. I guess I'm a nerd, but I love this kind of stuff! One hundred years after Rodin sketched the Parthenon sculptures, we will be viewing both his sketches, and the Parthenon sculptures themselves, AND Rodin's work inspired by them. It's almost like time travel...

Stay tuned for a future report from London!