Rodin Claudel Maillot | Human Forms

AUGUSTE RODIN (1840-1917): In between Romanticism and Impressionism this self-willed Frenchman created some of the most famous pieces known in the art of sculpting. He was very talented at conveying feelings in his compositions by emphasizing gestures. Also, his rough surface texture with deep hollows added strong shadows and naturalism to the human form. Rodin's goal, as he put it, was "to render inner feelings through muscular movement." He achieved this aim by joining his profound knowledge of anatomy and movement with special attention to the body's surfaces, saying, "The sculptor must learn to reproduce the surface, which means all that vibrates on the surface, soul, love, passion, life...Sculpture is thus the art of hollows and mounds, not of smoothness, or even polished planes."