Page 114 - sarah-simblet_sketch-book-for-the-artist

THE BODY114
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 asked to gaze upon her flesh; its soft, flushed skin made
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
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 w o r k 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
125/8x 9 in (320 x 229 mm)
AUGUSTE RODIN