Modern Sculpture

Why does sculpture lag behind painting in modernizing?

• Lack of patrons (people who pay for the art)

• paintings = easier & cheaper to buy

• sculpture = more expensive, needs a wealthy patron

• sculpture remained conservation because only govt. and conservative orgs. were paying for it

Who changed the game?

Rodin!!!

• Challenges the idea of appropriate architecture for public viewing

• introduce new honesty & abstraction to sculptures

What was NOT Rodin’s style?

Grand manner sculpture

• grand, noble figures

• pedastal

• intended for public display, paid by govt.

• naturalistic

ex: William the Silent at Rutgers!

Who were Rodin’s subjects?

Heroes (but not typical, glorified, pedestal heroes…instead suffering & in despair. Makes us rethink what an actual hero is)

How does Rodin Bridge traditional & modern sculpture?

Impressionism

• temporary, moment in time poses, movement

• light reflection on surfaces

• leaves “handwriting” in sculpture (marks of hands & tools in clay)

Post-Impressionist & Expressionist

• uses light reflection + body movement to show emotion

• rough surface = expressive

• exaggerates expressive features

His famous sculpture is…

Burghers of Calais

• 6 heroes willing to sacrifice their lives to save the city

• exaggerated features

• visible marks of artist

• big, bulging muscles & contorted figure = Michelangelo

• lacks high pedestal

Partial Figures

• by Rodin

• changes possibilities of sculpture

• new way of looking at human body (you didn’t need entire body to convey emotion or tell a story)

Partial figure examples

• Iris (makes erotically-charged / sexual images acceptable in art)

• The Walking Man (human achievement, energy, capabilities, potential)

Brancusi

• REJECT emotion & rough surfaces

• abstract structure but SIMPLIFIED

• seeks the essence of things

• breaks dependance on human figures → sculpture of objects instead

Brancusi examples

• Torso (reduced to geometric shape & form)

• Seal

• Bird in Space (reduced to essence of things - flight)

The Kiss - Brancusi vs. Rodin

Brancusi - union, simplified

Rodin - emotional