Film of Auguste Rodin - Father of Modern Sculpture

This is unique film of that towering figure in late C19 and early C20 sculpture, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917).

We have four glimpses.

[1] Rodin walks up and down the stairs of a monumental building.

[2] He poses in a garden, top-hatted.

[3] He leaves his home, later the Rodin Museum.

[4] He sculpts in what, I presume, is his studio.

There are close up shots so you really have a sense of how the artist went about his

I have also uploaded on my channel film footage of other great late C19 and early C20 French artists Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas and Claude Monet.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Auguste Rodin
• C19 sculpture
• C20 sculpture
• art

[pridbor]

Absolutely great that such clips are in existence! I do believe that he was posing for the photographers in his "Sunday" outfit as no sculptor is that clean while working. Do also remember that most famous sculptors had workers do most of the work once they got established, so he may not even have worked on this sculpture other than for the photo-take. Either way marvelous clip of the artist of which I have hiertoforth only seen photos.

[nickwallacesmith]

@pridbor - yes, with film so new a medium and the even greater sense of occasion i'm sure Rodin was in his best. and yes established artists had studios where workers did much of their work - with painters, often the 'great man/woman' would do the important parts of the picture (for example the face) and his studio the rest. as you say too it's amazing to see this great figure in art chiselling away at his stone. cheers

[SufitMusic]

Amazing! Thank you for posting! I recently read a biography of Gwen John, who so obsessively adored him! It's wonderful to have part of that story brought to life!

[nickwallacesmith]

@SufitMusic - i hadn't heard of this Welsh artist before - thanks for alerting me to her - just been looking at a very fine 'Self Portrait' of 1902. was interested too to read she was an artist's model for Rodin, and later his lover. must get that biog. you mentioned. thanks again, cheers!

[balletnut]

Hi,

He is my favourite sculpture so I'm more than happy with this gem.

Have you any more of him?

I wish there were some lipreaders around so that we could know what he's saying and I'd love to hear his voice too.

Cheers from Blighty.

[nickwallacesmith]

hi Blighty - sadly i have no more footage :< - and yes i've had the very same thought about lip reading! had it first for the film i uploaded of sarah bernhardt. cheers!

[pridbor]

@nickwallacesmith Hi thanks for the feedback -- The reason I mentioned the Sunday outfit is that I do a bit of sculpting myself, and I have never been this clean after just a short time working a stone (if you might be curious to my stuff then please visit me at . I too am a great admirer of Rodin although I prefer to make abstractions in stead of figurative sculptures.

[nickwallacesmith]

@dearmalika - isn't it!

[dearmalika]

Amazing and wonderful!

[nickwallacesmith]

@mosheesantos - glad you like it like i do - amazing to see this great father of modern sculpture at work. cheers from sydney