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[wylies99]

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/art/2010/04/148_64308.html

By Cathy Rose A. Garcia
Staff Reporter

Several masterpiece sculptures by French master Auguste Rodin, including ``The Thinker,'' ``The Hand of God'' and ``Balzac,'' will be shown outside France for the first time at the ``Rodin: Retrospective'' that opens in Seoul, April 30.

The exhibition at the Seoul Museum of Art, downtown Seoul, will showcase 180 pieces ― 113 sculptures in bronze, marble and plaster, 42 drawings and 25 photographs.

The Musee Rodin in Paris, France is lending some of the most famous sculptures from its vast collection for this major retrospective in Seoul.

Dr. Seo Soun-jou, exhibition director, said Rodin was an artist who successfully infused delicate human emotions such as passion, love and hatred in his sculptures.

But what made Rodin a great sculptor? Seo said it was Rodin's talent and artistic originality. ``These keywords not solely earned Rodin worldwide fame but also enabled him to realize the idiosyncratic harmonization of both composition and abstraction, especially shown in Balzac. With his dynamic sculptures, the combination of body and soul in human figure, Rodin is still extolled as a pathfinder and precursor of modern sculpture,'' he said.

The exhibition is divided into nine sections, The Age of Bronze; The Gates of Hell; The Burghers of Calais; The Figures of Eros; Rodin in His Studio; Dance: Body in Movement; Camille Claudel; Rodin in 1900, Pavillion d'Alma and The Monuments ― Balzac and Victor Hugo.
``The Age of Bronze,'' a nude male sculpture, is significant since it was the subject of controversy when Rodin first showed it. Many were surprised at the sculpture's lifelike form that Rodin was accused of molding it directly on the body of the model. After the allegations were refuted, Rodin's artistic reputation was established.

Rodin was often praised as an artistic genius with a ``divine hand,'' which had the ability to ``give life to meaningless soil and rough stone, making them full of vitality and richness.''

``The Hand of God,'' a beautiful marble sculpture of a gigantic hand holding a nude figure, showed Rodin breaking away from conventional compositions and adopted a form that appeals to the imagination.

``The Gates of Hell'' is a monumental portal based on Italian poet Dante's ``Divine Comedy,'' while ``The Burghers of Calais'' was a work commissioned by the city of Calais to commemorate the act of heroism by six burghers who handed themselves over to English troops to save the city.

This Rodin retrospective stands out because it includes 30 works in plaster, which are considered more delicate and usually not sent overseas for exhibitions.

Many of Rodin's works explored sensuality, eroticism and passion. This is exemplified in ``The Kiss,'' which shows two figures interlocked in a passionate embrace.

A special section is dedicated to Rodin's mistress and muse Camille Claudel, who also became a sculptor. Claudel was only 17 when she met the 41-year-old Rodin in Paris in 1882. Included in this section are several works based on Claudel ― ``The Convalescence,'' ``Mask of Camille Claudel'' and ``The Waltz.''

Claudel and Rodin's tempestuous love affair was the subject of the acclaimed 1988 French film ``Camille Claudel'' with Isabelle Adjani and Gerard Depardieu.

Another remarkable piece is the sculpture of Honore de Balzac, wherein Rodin depicted the French novelist not by physical appearance but the ``essence of his personality.''

Other must-see works are ``Crouching Woman,'' ``Iris, Messenger of the Gods,'' ``Rodin's Hand'' and ``Eternal Idol.''

The exhibition is being organized by the Seoul Museum of Art, Hankook Ilbo and Korean Broadcasting System (KBS). It is open 10 a.m. to 9 p.m., Tuesday to Friday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., weekends and public holidays. It is closed on Monday.

Tickets are 12,000 won for adults (19 to 64 years old), 10,000 won for youth (13 to 18 years old) and 8,000 won for children (7 to 12 years old). Senior citizens (65 and above), children under 7 accompanied by parents, registered disabled and veterans are allowed free entry.

Visit www.rodinseoul.com

[matthews_world]

These must be molded copies of the original.

I wouldn't wanna pay high-priced admission to his Paris museum and find out all of his major works and beloved treasures had been loaned out.

For more info on the life of Rodin, rent or download a copy of the documentary "Rodin (1973)." It's quite well done.

[AustSaint]

still worth going to even if they are moulds of the originals

[buildbyflying]

The movie Camille Claudel also is a good look into the life and work of Rodin. However, it paints him as yet another man riding on the genius of an unrecognized women (Einstein as well it's been proposed).l
Regardless, gates of hell is a beautiful thing to see, and the Seoul Museum should be a regular stop for anyone in Seoul; it warrants return visits.

[vaticanhotline]

[matthews_world]