A life-sized figure of a nude male sits on a rock with his chin resting in one hand, as if lost deep in thought. The Thinker, the work of French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840–1917), has been impressing people for generations. This legendary artist gained worldwide fame with his numerous sculptures with a distinct style. 他赤身裸体坐在一块石头上,单手拖住下巴,仿佛陷入了深深的沉思——这座真人大小的雕塑正是出自法国雕塑家奥古斯特·罗丹(1840–1917)之手的《思想者》。它给一代又一代人留下了深刻印象。这位传奇的艺术大师因其许多别具一格的雕塑作品而闻名于世。 The National Museum of China is hosting a retrospective show of Rodin’s creations until March 22, 2015. The show is his largest ever in China and displays 139 classic works created by the progenitor of modern sculpture. The sculptures are provided by the Rodin Museum in Paris. Departing from the idealism of the Greeks and the decorative beauty of the Baroque and neo-Baroque movements of the 1600s in Europe, Rodin introduced innovative practices that paved the way for modern sculpture. Instead of focusing on traditional themes like mythology and allegory, he modeled the human body with realism and celebrated individual character and physicality. This was the key to his success and few other artists can rival him. His genius was to express inner truths of the human psyche. His sculpture emphasized the individual and the concreteness of flesh, and suggested emotion through detailed, textured surfaces and the interplay of light and shadow. Every part of the body speaks for the whole in his work. Imagine in the sculpture The Thinker, the grip of the toes, the rigidness of his back, and the differentiation of his hands all indicate the male passion and power. Unlike many artists, Rodin didn’t establish his distinct artistic style or a credible list of works until he was in his 40s. Rejected by the prestigious art school Ecole des Beaux-Arts three times, Rodin worked as a decorative bricklayer for nearly two decades, from the late 1850s to late 1870s. But later a fateful trip to Italy in 1875 stirred Rodin’s inner-artist. He drew inspiration from Italian sculptor Michelangelo and other sculptors of the Renaissance. His first great piece The Age of Bronze was created at that time. Later, he spent much time exploring alternative techniques such as assembling existing fragments. This dedication resulted in creative pieces such as The Gates of Hell, which included several hundred figures. He believed that art should be true to nature, a philosophy that shaped his attitudes toward models and materials. |
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