1963.101.FA Auguste Rodin, The Sculptor and His Muse


GENERAL DESCRIPTION  
The lithe form of the woman bends seductively over the hunched body of the man, draping her long hair over his head while she whispers in his ear. The woman's presence seems to torture the man, who contorts his muscular body away from her and covers his mouth to suppress a scream. The graceful woman represents a muse or the personification of inspiration. For the sculptor, Auguste Rodin, creativity could be both a source of great beauty and torment.

Excerpt from
Heather MacDonald, DMA label copy, 2010.


NOTES
Created in 1895


From Dropbox Euro labels 2007-2008:
An allegory for inspiration, the muse has taken on the body of a woman and stands in the lap of the sculptor.  She leans heavily against him and he bends with the force of her weight.  Covering his mouth with his hand, the muscled sculptor appears in a state of agony.  The woman both inspires and suppresses the artist, a dualism that Rodin calls the “mysterious feminine power that retards the thinker, the worker, and the artist, while at the same time it inspires them.” 

At this time, his home was in Meudon, but his studio was in Paris.

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Geography 
Place of origin: Paris (France): TGN: 7008038

Process/materials
Bronze

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Apply to objects where number equals 1963.101.FA

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General Description
 
The lithe form of the woman bends seductively over the hunched body of the man, draping her long hair over his head while she whispers in his ear. The woman's presence seems to torture the man, who contorts his muscular body away from her and covers his mouth to suppress a scream. The graceful woman represents a muse or the personification of inspiration. For the sculptor, Auguste Rodin, creativity could be both a source of great beauty and torment.

Excerpt from
Heather MacDonald, DMA label copy, 2010.


Fun Facts

Archival Resources

Web Resources
 


Notes
Created in 1895


From Dropbox Euro labels 2007-2008:
An allegory for inspiration, the muse has taken on the body of a woman and stands in the lap of the sculptor.  She leans heavily against him and he bends with the force of her weight.  Covering his mouth with his hand, the muscled sculptor appears in a state of agony.  The woman both inspires and suppresses the artist, a dualism that Rodin calls the “mysterious feminine power that retards the thinker, the worker, and the artist, while at the same time it inspires them.” 

At this time, his home was in Meudon, but his studio was in Paris.

Catalogue essays

Artist/designers

Cultures

Geography 
Place of origin: Paris (France): TGN: 7008038

Process/materials
Bronze

Historical periods

Individuals

Subject terms

RELATED OBJECTS 

PROVENANCE 

AUDIO ASSETS 

VIDEO ASSETS

rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1963.101.FA
tags
#draft
#completed
%Archived
human figures: AAT: 300404114
@Russell
#routed
*European Art
nudity (culture-related concepts): AAT: 300262617
Paris (France): TGN: 7008038
bronze: AAT: 300010957
sculpture in the round: AAT: 300047264
sculptor (artists by medium): AAT: 300025181
Rodin_Auguste: ULAN: 500016619
muse: DMA
inspiration: AAT: 300069328
source file
object_notes_2_c-0262.xml.nores