The Master

Tuesday 11 July

Some people call Michelangelo the Master, and most of the time I agree with that. But when I stand in front of a Rodin sculpture I waver. Rodin, too, revered Michelangelo, and you can see the homage in several works. Rodin understood what Michelangelo was trying to say and took it a step further, crashing through boundaries and challenging the establishment of his time - just like Michelangelo.

The pix today are a couple of Rodin's works from a visit to the Musee Rodin. One is a small version of the Three Shades. These guys were made for the top of the Gates of Hell. It is actually the same figure repeated three times - rather clever of Rodin to give us several views of the same thing all at once, as it certainly punches up the impact.

The second is La Defense, a work that is not as widely known, but is very much one of my favorites. The female figure is the winged French warrior woman, sometimes known as Victory, other times refered to as Bellona. At her feet is a dying soldier, giving the piece a distinct reference to a Pieta. But it is Bellona that captivates - Rodin put such emotion into her pose with arms outstretched, hands fisted, one wing curling back. She is angry, shouting, triumphant, and terrifying all in one moment. Mastery indeed.