Balzac
1892 - 1897
Auguste Rodin
A man in a dressing gown, with a massive head and deep-set eyes, protruding chin and wild hair, is looking directly at you. It is Honoré de Balzac, one of France’s literary greats. Auguste Rodin chose to depict him not as a literary hero, but as a writer, in the dressing gown he wore when at work.
Details
- Plan number: M36
- Zone: Human Nature
- Title: Balzac
- Creator: Auguste Rodin
- Date: 1892 - 1897
- Material: bronze
- Acquisition: loan by Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerpen
- Object number: MID.LB.KM.2196
The sculpture is not polished smooth: you can see the traces of the making process. As a result, light plays on the surface, giving the sculpture more expressive power.
Rodin was commissioned to make the portrait by a French writers’ association. The sculpture caused a major scandal: the commissioners found it “unfinished, a poor likeness, and illegible” and refused the design. The artwork was not cast in bronze until 1931 and is widely recognized as one of Rodin’s masterpieces.
Rodin figuratively pulled prominent figures and heroes from their pedestals and turned them into real people. He modeled their feelings, talents, despair, strengths, and weaknesses, but with respect. Rodin was the first sculptor to do this with such emphasis.
French Impressionist artist Auguste Rodin brought a breath of fresh air to academic sculpture in the late 19th century. He introduced innovative practices that paved the way for modern sculpture. Rodin believed that art should be true to nature, a philosophy that determined his attitude towards models and materials.
From the same artist
Auguste Rodin
The confident pose of this young man, hand on his head, is striking. The 22-year-old Flemish soldier August Neyt modeled for this sculpture for 18 months. He originally held a spear, an attribute later omitted by the artist. The sculptor gave this work several titles, including “The Vanquished,” “Man of the Forest,” and finally “The Bronze Age.”
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