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Rodin: A Passion for Movement

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"Rodin: A Passion for Movement" by Dominique Jarrasse is an objective exploration of Rodin's major works based on three dimensions; movement, (as the title suggests), light and shade and the fragmented figure. These elements are explored through articulate text and beautiful, high-resolution photographs and drawings. The focus of the book is on Rodin's motivation and his alchemist method of modeling his figures to achieve the exact postures, which would give the sculpture a sense of movement. He paid an enormous amount of attention to the interplay between light and shade, taking from the masters, most notably Michelangelo. However, a great deal of controvesy surrounded Rodin's work based on his constant rejection from the academic community. In spite of his mastery, Rodin wasn't accepted because of his affinity for the fragmented figure, which he saw as a finished piece of work. This notion was affirmed by his quote, "I will never again make anything complete. I will make only antiques."(P. 46) The book begins with an analysis of "The Burghers of Calais", a monument to the six martyrs who surrendered the keys to the city of Calais to King Edward III during the Hundred Years War. The author explores the psychological undertones of each of the six men and Rodin's efforts to exact the pain and distress felt by these heroic men. Rodin paid close attention to the facial expressions of each of these figures in an effort to personify the different emotions these men and this monument symbolize. He chose a circular composition to depict the moment where these men were walking to the town hall, to meet King Edward and to meet death, creating a sense of eternal movement. Rodin established himself in the art world at the age of forty with a commission for the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. He found inspiration for this grandiose work from Dante's "Inferno", which he titled "The Gates of Hell." This work became "essentially an ode to sculpture" (p. 53) and took over twenty years for him to create. He reused fragments from other works that he created and many of his more famous works are found in this sculpture. At the top sits "The Thinker", which was Rodin's depiction of Dante. Rodin said, "His head on his fist, he wonders. Fertile thoughts slowly rise in his mind. He is not a dreamer. He is a creator." (p.90) Rodin was constantly studying and revising his fragmented forms. In Rodin's opinion these fragments were the essence to his work. Gustave Kahn explained, "The fragment is beautiful in itself, and the study of the fragment, a useful and legitimate thing." (p. 210) Throughout the book, the author includes a variety of photographs, however it would have been more informative had the author included many more of these studies and variations on each work.

This book depicts most of his major works with many color photographs. Likewise, a short narrative accompanies each photo describing the artist's inspiration, background and overall effect of each piece. A good book to accompany any novice wanting to learn more on Rodin.

This large-format book really does justice to Rodin's work, with a very large number of photographs covering all his major works, often from several perspectives.