Auguste Rodin: French Sculptor (Reveries)

Category: Books,Arts & Photography,History & Criticism

Auguste Rodin: French Sculptor (Reveries) Details

Whether madonna, muse or temptress, women have been a source of artistic inspiration throughout history. In the Reveries series, Parkstone pays tribute to the important contribution women have made to artists by uplifting their spirits and giving free reign to their fantasies. We invite you to share the erotic world of well-known painters such as Degas and Schiele.This new genre of art book offers a glimpse into the private lives of some of the most influential artists of modern times. The most striking features of the Reveries series are their brief texts, sophisticated layouts, and high-quality reproductions. Each title pays homage to the artists oeuvre and the elegant layouts include some rarely-seen images.Every page benefits from a unique design and offers a unique setting for some of the most sensual works of Degas, Schiele. Modigliani and Toulouse-Lautrec. These publications should be considered as works of art themselves, a delight for the enthusiast; instructive for the novice; a welcome and valuable addition to any library.

Reviews

For those new to the "Reveries" series, the theme of it is eroticism. Therefore, this book is not a general survey of Auguste Rodin, but an exploration of sensuality in his art. Tom Parsons is a satisfying writer who makes the topic fun and engaging. The works emphasized here are Rodin's sculptures depicting women and lovers, as well as his late erotic drawings. These drawings are often ignored in survey books, so it's refreshing to see them treated more seriously here as forerunners to cubist tendencies.Not much of the content will intrigue the Rodin scholar, but Parsons's narrative should please the curious dilettante. He supplies plenty of anecdotes and interesting nuggets about Rodin that might be filtered out of the typical artist surveys. There is much about his voracious lust, his mistresses, especially Camille Claudel, his models, attitudes toward women, and how he worked in his studio. I particularly liked reading what his colleagues and contemporaries thought of him. Parsons includes testimonials and criticism from figures like Baudelaire, Mirbeau, Cezanne, Stefan Zweig, Jean Arp, and the Goncourt brothers. Unfortunately, Parsons does not analyze or interpret much of Rodin's work.As with all books in this series, the size is small (8.5 x 5 in.), the pagination brief (118 p.), and with limited text per page; the book can be read in an hour. However, each glossy page is extravagantly illustrated. The reproductions are excellent for a bargain book, although some are printed as two-page spreads, which can be irksome. I also would have appreciated more close-ups of Rodin's sculptures, especially of the details in "Gates of Hell".Bottom line: As a study of eroticism in Rodin's art, this little book is a joy to read. There is not enough biographical material, so I don't recommend it for those unfamiliar with Rodin. If you're looking for a comprehensive survey of Rodin with the value of a bargain book, consider these instead: Auguste Rodin (Best Of Collection);Auguste Rodin: Sculptures and Drawings.

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