Affinities and contrasts in the work of two icons of modern sculpture In terms of modern sculpture, there are few artists who can claim the same level of influence as Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) and Hans "Jean" Arp (1886-1966). Rodin's naturalistic rather than decorative approach to sculpture revolutionized the field in the late 19th century, while Arp prompted another wave of experimentation in the early 1900s with his abstract sculpture. In this volume, the oeuvres of both pioneers are placed in conversation with one another to demonstrate their artistic affinities as well as their creative contrasts. As Rodin moved away from the preeminent trends of mythological allegory in order to focus on the organic elegance of the human figure, he eventually approached an Impressionistic style. Arp, as an early member of the Dadaist movement, reinterpreted many of the trends brought forth by Rodin, emphasizing abstraction as a means for conveying pathos. This publication allows readers to appreciate the evolution of both artists individually and in the context of art history as a whole: as sculptural milestones, the creations of Rodin and Arp provide a vivid illustration of fundamental developments in modern sculpture stylistically and ideologically. Curator Raphaël Bouvier provides textual insight along with several other acclaimed art scholars, including Catherine Chevillot, Director of the Musée Rodin.

I have drawn all my life. I began withdrawing: I have never stopped drawing.--Auguste Rodin

While anchoring his practice in the traditions of antiquity and the Renaissance, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) paved the way for modern sculpture. From a very early stage, he was interested in movement, the expression of the body, chance effects, and the incomplete fragment. It was these elements that gave shape, and the impression of life, to such famous works as The Kiss and The Thinker. Produced in collaboration with the Musée Rodin, this TASCHEN Basic Art introduction examines the formative years of Rodin's training as well as the key stages of his subsequent career. It retraces the genesis of his sculptures and monuments from both a historical and an aesthetic point of view and illuminates the links between his different works. The reader gains access to the artist's ideas, as well as to the real material processes in his studio--the modeling in clay, the passage from plaster to bronze or to marble, enlargement, the creation of assemblages, and his deeply sensual erotic drawings. An inexhaustible source of inspiration for subsequent generations of artists, Rodin's work incorporated innovation and transgression, but above all an unrivaled passion for working in front of the living model and for capturing the truth of human experience and forms. With rich illustration and texts from François Blanchetière, this book invites us to discover--and rediscover--this priceless legacy.