This exhibition, The Making of Rodin at Tate Modern, presents the sculptor’s work in a slightly different light, revealing his use of multiple elements, repetition and iteration, processes normally kept out of sight and behind the scenes.
After his first sculpture, The Age of Bronze (L’Age d’airain), was deemed by the critics too lifelike to have been sculpted, he worked in increasingly expressive ways.
His use of hands, both connected to other elements as in Farewell (L’Adieu),
or displayed alone, is immensely moving.
It also showed that he was practical, making the most of all casts in his repertoire. Why remake when you can reuse?
Then you have these exquisite watercolour drawings.
Some would argue that we don’t need another Rodin exhibition but I enjoyed seeing his use of repetition and experimentation, something the viewer is rarely exposed to.
