Title
Study of Honoré de Balzac, 1891-1892. Creator: Auguste Rodin (French, 1840-1917).
Caption
Study of Honoré de Balzac, 1891-1892. In 1891 Rodin was commissioned to create a monument honoring the celebrated French writer Honoré de Balzac. The figure evolved through multiple stages over a seven-year period as Rodin explored different methods of conveying the author?s genius and personality. This bust is a study for the first version, in which the full figure stands upright with legs apart, arms crossed over his corpulent belly. Rodin?s unglamorous portrayal of a national hero shocked the public accustomed to idealized figures in public monuments. The final design was even more intensely criticized because Rodin reduced the body to a powerful, abstract mass intended to convey the symbolic essence of the writer?s creative vitality.
Credit line
Photo12/Heritage Images/Heritage Art
Reference
HRM19G08_254
Model release
NA
Property release
NA
License type
Droits gérés
Available size
62,4Mo (2,4Mo) / 34,7cm x 45,1cm / 4096 x 5323 (300dpi)