Sketch Book for the Artist

Passion

SUMMONING HUMANITY in a drawing of the nude is a subtle

and emotional task. Our bodies radiate the passion of our

thoughts and so become beacons of our frailty and power. In

Rodins work, the fierceness of the women's kiss is beautifully

matched by the tenderness of his line. They whisper and

writhe in a brushed and sultry embrace that devours our

watching. We are involved not as a shabby voyeur but as a

bystander engaged through our recognition of shared joy.

Opposite, Anita Taylor has drawn her protective body hug out

of the darkly glistening compression of willow charcoal and

the dynamism of her shy but momentous femininity. We are

asked to gaze upon her flesh; its soft, flushed skin made

ruddy and black with crushed cinders. In both drawings,

the women are framed and caressed by long, sweeping lines—

of either purple silk fabric or cool studio air—that imprint

and amplify their past and future movements.

AUGUSTE RODIN

French Romantic sculptor and prolific

draftsman employed as an ornamental

mason until the age of 42. Achieving

international acclaim in mid-life, Rodin

produced portraits and statues of public

and literary figures. Inspired by Michelangelo,

his work is characterized by deliberate

un-finish and powerfully modeled emotion.

Delicate strokes This is one of about

7,000 drawings shown in rotation at the

Musee Rodin, Paris, and one of hundreds

of rapid studies of nudes. Rodin employed

models to move freely or pose together in

his studio. As here, he typically drew them

with a few delicate strokes of pencil and

brushed watercolor.

Free lines Rodin's public audience was

understandably shocked by the eroticism of

his drawings. But what is stranger to us now

is that they were also outraged by his free

use of line. His exquisite flow of paint

beyond "outlines," as seen here, was

perceived as scandalous, and went on

to inspire generations of artists.

Two Women Embracing

1911

1 25 / 8 x 9 in (320 x 229 mm)

AUGUSTE RODIN

THE

BODY