Rodin Essay -- Essays Papers

Rodin Like most artists, Rodin was not an overnight success. Even though he was rejected numerous times from art schools because of his art style, he prevailed in the end. Rodin, like many artists, got their inspiration from other great and famous artists. In Rodin's case, his inspiration came from Michelangelo. In Rodin's more famous works, one can see the similarities between the two artists' artwork. Rodin's parents were not wealthy, therefore, he was not able to attend an art school of his choice. His father, however, did send him to Petite École, "a training ground for commercial draftsman and practiciens--cutters and finishers of work in stone". At the age of seventeen, Rodin won his first prize for a clay model and he came in second place for one of his drawings. His teachers at Petite École encouraged him to "try for the Grande École des Beaux-Arts". He applied, but was not accepted. Not giving up hope, Rodin applied two more times, but was rejected. Determined to make a living, he worked for a large commercial designer. It was there, that he created numerous objects with his hands; anything from masks of gods to cupids. This is where he began to see that he had a future in what he loved the most, art. Even though Rodin was an artist, his career did not take off so soon. When he was 22, his sister Maria died. He anguished so much over her death that he decided to leave his art. He quit everything and decided to enter the Order of the Fathers of the Very Holy Sacrament. While living in the monastery, Rodin confided in Father Eymard, and he was the one that told Rodin to continue sculpting and not to give up. Rodin eventually realized that religion was not his calling and once he had enough money saved up, he moved into his first studio. From that point on, he was fully committed to his artwork. Rodin said that it was so cold in his studio, (he could not afford to have heat) that he would wake up and see parts of his sculptures on the floor. "Since I didn't have the money to have them cast, each day I lost precious time covering my clay with wet cloths. Despite that, at every turn I had accidents from the effects of the cold and heat. Entire sections detached themselves–heads, arms, knees, chunks of torso fell off; I found them in pieces on the tiles that covered the floor" . In 1864, Rodin created a masterpiece, something that would change his ... ...ed, he prevailed and was able to live happily; considering what a hard life he had. Rodin died in November 1917 and his common-law wife, Rose, died in February of 1917. Rodin died with having completed over 400 sculptures and 7,000 drawings.Two of Rodin's most famous pieces of work were finally shown in the Salon in 1878, The Man with the Broken Nose and the Age of Bronze. I had a chance to see several Rodins and visit his home in paris last summer and while he may reflect Michealangelo ,it was clear ,no one could deny his talent as a sculptor. His forms hold such a strong sense of motion and strength. My favorite would have to be his sculpture the Kiss, it stands in the garden de’Tolluries in paris and just left such a strong impression on me. Bibliography 1.Cunningham, Lawrence and John Reich. Culture and Values: A Survey of the Western Humanities. Vol. 2, 4th Edition. Forth Worth: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1998. 2.HalWilliam Harlan and the Editors of Time-Life Books. The World of Rodin: 1840- 1917.Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1978. 3.Lampert, Catherine. Rodin: Sculpture and Drawings. Hong Kong: Kwong Fat Offset Printing Co. Ltd., 1986.