The narrative arc of Auguste Rodin’s artistic life is stupendous. Whether you admire his work or not, it’s a trajectory that goes from the very bottom to the very top, capped off with the recognition, fame, and envy that many a struggling, down-and-out artist dream of. And while he may never have been, and still isn’t, without controversy attached to his name, one thing is abundantly clear: he made it.
Rodin, which is part of a series called Behind the Artist, offers an informative look at one of history’s greatest sculptors. Presented by Let’s Pix, and created by Pauline Cathala and Nicholas Valode, each episode in the series provides viewers with a thorough, yet not overly technical, introduction to the life and work of an artist. Other episodes feature Picasso and Van Gogh.
The man of the hour in this episode (directed by Laurent-David Samama) is of course the Paris-born sculptor of the 19th century.
It really is astonishing to compare the beginning and end of Rodin’s life, two periods which have so little in common, aside from his love of sculpture. Indeed, it wasn’t until well into the third decade of his life that he experienced any tangible success. Prior to that, disappointments abounded: three times he failed to gain entrance to the more prestigious art school than the smaller (and free) one he attended. Because of that, he essentially scraped and clawed to earn a living. Then, at age 22, he went through circumstances far more trying: the loss of his beloved sister.
If the above events encompass the first couple of acts, so to speak, of Rodin’s life, it might seem as though a tragedy is in the making — and one with little redemption. But by the late 1870s, his life had catapulted into an entirely new realm.
Part of the change in trajectory is due to an invigorating trip to Italy. His time spent visiting the Eternal City, among other places, affirmed his love for sculpture and the powers of art; “he was completely overwhelmed by the work of Michelangelo,” says one scholar in the film.
During the years of that same decade, the symbiotic relationship with a woman named Rose Bereut, who “was to be his faithful and devoted companion throughout his life,” also seems to have kept him afloat through some of his darker times.
These years of perseverance paid off. In 1877, Rodin’s exquisite The Age of Bronze was exhibited at a salon in Brussels. Though considerable controversy surrounded it — in part because many thought Rodin had merely cast the sculpture (which was not true) — it didn’t spell doom, but instead “open[ed] the gates to fame for him.”
Then, in 1880, came the biggest break of his life. The French government commissioned him to create a bronze door — what we know as The Gates of Hell — for the Museum of Decorative Arts. Taking its inspiration from the first part of Dante’s Commedia, the ultimately unfinished portal occupied Rodin for the rest of his life.
As the documentary illuminates, out of this massive project came some of the many sculptures that transported the artist to ever greater recognition. One is the very famous The Thinker. Another is The Kiss. The latter, which shows the adulterous figures of Paolo and Francesca, has its own story of chaotic passion behind it.
It was created during the time in which Rodin took up a relationship with a much younger assistant, Camille Claudel. A formidable sculptor in her own right, Claudel and Rodin became a source of inspiration for one another. Over time, the relationship flowered into something that was intensely physical, intellectual, and artistic. But it ultimately wrecked Claudel.
The young and talented artist ended up spiraling into madness, and living out the remainder of her life in an asylum. The documentary gives a relatively vague explanation for this unraveling, but the sensual, flesh-filled life of Rodin seems to have played at least some role. Rodin had “intimate relationships with his models,” we learn, and his attention wasn’t always available to give to Claudel. But one wonders if there aren’t other dimensions to the story. Whatever actually happened, the descent of the young women — along with her promising career cut short — makes for a tragic story within Rodin’s rise to international fame.
Indeed as the century progressed, Rodin picked up more and more commissions, each one adding to his notoriety. Nothing he made was without controversy, yet that was almost entirely a boon, not a bust, to his career.
By the final decade of his life, he had built a kind of Rodin empire: an established brand, steady commissions from all over the world, bustling workshops with a small legion of assistants — and, not least, the arrangements which would establish the Rodin Museum (located in the fabulous Hotel Biron, no less).
He achievements, fame, and tight control over his image led him to become “a sort of modern Michelangelo.” Not bad for someone who failed to get into art school three times.
Spectatio 