International studio (33.1907/1908(1908))

Auguste Rodin

effort is to re-present what I find in God’s creation—
above all, in the form of man, which is the highest,
most perfect, of architectural constructions.”
Rodin’s frank joy in the nude is Greek, but his
psychological interpretation of man’s spirit is essen-
tially modern, and his statues reveal the nervous
life of our twentieth century, with all its perplexi-
ties, doubts, aspirations. He does not always
choose the soul in its highest moments, preferring to
translate life as it exists. He pierces beyond the veil
to the truths which lie at the heart of humanity, and
his figures palpitate with life, sensations, dreams.
Because we have been taught to find our ideal
sculpture in the calm statues of the Greeks, we are
shocked by his portrayal in marble of such tumul-
tuous emotion. Unconsciously inherited traditions
prejudice us against the innovator. We forget
that the calmness of Hellenic art could not trans-
cribe our restless modern life ; and that Rodin,
lover and devotee of ancient art though he be, is
essentially the child of his age, the prophet, the
seer of modernity. If we believe art to be “ the

expression of the souls of great men,” should we
not hold an open mind for the receiving of their
message, no matter in what form it be given ?
We must also remember that many of Rodin’s
groups were created for his Porte d’Enfer, whereon
he has depicted Dante’s vision of “ those who go
down into hell ”; and that in our revolt at his too
realistic rendering of these subjects we should not
lose sight of the greatness of the art which portrays
the passions that sway our age. But these two
hundred figures can be put entirely aside ; there
will still remain sufficient of his imaginative sculpture
to place Rodin’s name on the roll-call of the great.
Nor can the value of this artist’s work be judged
from the aesthetic standpoint only: he is the master
craftsman of this age, and perhaps his greatest con-
tribution to the coming generation of sculptors is
the lesson of his patient endeavour to learn well his
craft. With stubborn will he set himself the task
of reproducing the human form. No labour was
too great to achieve this end. From early morn-
ing until late at night he worked at his modelling ;
thousands of hands and feet, of detached
bits of anatomy in his atelier, prove the
carefulness of his research.
As he modelled the outward form his
imagination rvas busy with the story of
the ages—the eternal story of love and
birth and death—so that almost un-
consciously he wove into his work the
pattern of life. Thus it is that his por
trait busts are representative not only of
individuals, but of this age. Future
generations will regard them as a page
in the book of our life, and place them
in their treasure-houses of art, for, as
Rodin said of his painter-friend Carriere,
“ Better than his contemporaries those
who are still to come, those who shall
understand, will work out his glory.”
A. Seaton Schmidt.

BUST IN MARBLE

BY AUCUSTE RODIN

The Third International Congress for
the Development of Drawing and Ait
Teaching will be held in London next
August. As the Committee are desirous
of knowing as long beforehand as possible
the approximate number of members for
whom arrangements will have to be made,
they appeal to all art teachers to enrol at
once. The subsciiption for ordinary
members is ios. 6d., and may be sent to
the Organising Secretary, 151 Cannon
Street, London, E.C.

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