The Age of Bronze

The Age of Bronze
L'âge d'airain (French)
The Age of Bronze, Alte Nationalgalerie, Berlin, Germany (2006).
ArtistAuguste Rodin (1840–1917)
Year1877 (first exhibited)
TypeStatue
MediumBronze
DimensionsLife size

The Age of Bronze (French: L'âge d'airain) is a bronze statue by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840–1917). The figure is of a life-size nude male, 72 in. (182.9cm) high. Rodin continued to produce casts of the statue for several decades after it was modeled in 1876.

The sculpture is famous for its extreme naturalism, which resulted in suspicion of casting a living person. Rodin had a Belgian soldier pose for the statue, keeping photographs which survive (in the Rodin Museum). The pose partly derives from Michelangelo's Dying Slave in the Louvre Museum, which has the elbow raised above the head.[1] Rodin had studied Michelangelo's work on a trip to Italy to gain inspiration for his naturalistic sculpture.[2]: 33  Today, there are numerous casts of the statue held in major museum across the world

History

The Age of Bronze was not Auguste Rodin's first life-size sculpture. Previously, he was creating a piece that was destroyed while moving studios titled Bacchante. Following the destruction of Bacchante, The Age of Bronze was meant to establish his reputation.[3] At this time, Rodin's goal was to study the nude and create naturalistic sculptures.[4] In pursuit of this, he was drawn to Italy, where the work of Michelangelo provided him with insights regarding how to create naturalistic sculptures.[2]: 33 

Statue "The Age of Bronze" by Auguste Rodin.
3D model, click to interact.
Michelangelo, The Dying Slave 1513-1516

To achieve this specific hyper-naturalistic appearance, Rodin was unsatisfied with professional models due to their inability to convey the natural poses he wished to sculpt. To solve this problem, he employed a 22-year-old Belgian soldier, Auguste Neyt.[4] When the sculpture was first exhibited at the 1877 Salon in Paris, France, critics were puzzled as the work lacked a title or identifying attribute and appeared so realistic, they concluded there was only one viable explanation — he had cast a living model. Suspicion persisted for several years before dying down."[4] This suspicion benefited Rodin, though, because people were so eager to see this for themselves.[5]

Even after the claims were debunked, Rodin still received harsh criticism from many art magazines. The Gazette des Beaux-Arts and L'Art published statements in 1877 describing it as, "a sickly nude fellow" and having, "neither character nor beauty".[6]

Analysis and interpretations

The Age of Bronze, being Rodin's first successful large sculpture, represents a long period of effort, training, struggle, and research.[4] Originally, this piece was a warrior holding a spear, about to be defeated; however, he removed the spear before displaying it to the public.[2]: 34  This change created a new sculpture that draws attention to the figure's body and emotional state, rather than the warrior aspect. The weight shifting to the right side, the relaxing of the lips, and the way the head sits upon the shoulders, lead the audience to question the nature of suffering and man's inner life.[2]: 34  The figure's state was meant to be collapsed both morally and physically, representing a man on the verge of suicide.[2]: 34  Rodin's work was driven by making the sculpture as perfectly naturalistic as possible, no matter how much time or labor it took.[2]: 33 

This drive was a primary reason why Rodin sought out a more naturalistic model rather than a professional model. Rodin's work partially derives from Michelangelo's Dying Slave; there are many similarities between the sculptures — the most prominent being the arm positioning. It was the work of Michelangelo's that drew Rodin to Italy and provided him with insights regarding how to create naturalistic sculptures.[2]: 33  The influence of Michelangelo's work on The Age of Bronze allows for direct comparisons. Comparing the two sculptures highlights what makes Rodin's work distinctive, as his figure is more agile, fluid, and naturalistic than Michelangelo's more rigidly defined work.[2]: 33  The contrast of surface finishes was very dramatic for this time.

Casts

Casts of the statue can be found in many museums, including:

Institution City Country
Albright–Knox Art Gallery[7] Buffalo, New York United States
Alte Nationalgalerie Berlin Germany
Museum Folkwang Essen Germany
Schlossmuseum Weimar Germany
Chiado Museum Lisbon Portugal
Cleveland Museum of Art Cleveland, Ohio United States
Columbus Museum of Art Columbus, Ohio United States
Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek[8][9] Copenhagen Denmark
Nationalmuseum[10] Stockholm Sweden
Honolulu Museum of Art Honolulu, Hawaii United States
Hugh Lane Gallery Dublin Ireland
Instituto Ricardo Brennand Recife Brazil
Iris & B. Gerald Cantor Center for Visual Arts, Stanford University Stanford, California United States
Kunstmuseum The Hague Netherlands
Leeds Art Gallery Leeds England
Lycée Rodin, cour d'honneur[11] Paris France
Maryhill Museum of Art Maryhill, Washington United States
Metropolitan Museum of Art New York City, New York United States
Middelheim Open Air Sculpture Museum[12] Antwerp Belgium
Minneapolis Institute of Arts Minneapolis, Minnesota United States
Musée d'Orsay[13] Paris France
Museum of Fine Arts of Lyon Lyon France
Musée Rodin[14] Paris France
Museo Soumaya Mexico City Mexico
Museum of Fine Arts Budapest Hungary
Nasher Sculpture Center[15] Dallas, Texas United States
National Gallery of Art Washington, D.C. United States
National Gallery of Canada Ottawa, Ontario Canada
National Museum of Western Art[16] Tokyo Japan
New Orleans Museum of Art New Orleans, Louisiana United States
Princeton University Art Museum Princeton, New Jersey United States
Rodin Museum Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States
Tokyo University of the Arts, The University Art Museum[17] Tokyo Japan
Tokyo Fuji Art Museum[18] Tokyo Japan
Victoria and Albert Museum London England
Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya Barcelona Spain
Burrell Collection Glasgow Scotland
Legion of Honor San Francisco United States
Queensland Art Gallery[19] Brisbane Australia
Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna Rome Italy
Manchester Art Gallery[20] Manchester United Kingdom
Chrysler Museum of Art[21] Norfolk, Virginia United States
  • Plaster from 1877
    Plaster from 1877
  • Plaster, detail
    Plaster, detail
  • Bronze cast
    Bronze cast
  • Bronze cast from 1876/1877 in Lyon
    Bronze cast from 1876/1877 in Lyon
  • Detail of the bronze cast in the National Gallery of Canada, cast in 1901
    Detail of the bronze cast in the National Gallery of Canada, cast in 1901

See also

  • List of sculptures by Auguste Rodin
  • 1877 in art

References

  1. ^ "The Age of Bronze, 1876". Princeton Art Museum.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Elsen, Albert E; Aldaheff, Albert (1981). Rodin Rediscovered. Washington: National Gallery of Art. ISBN 978-0894680007.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  3. ^ Tancock, John L (1979). The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin: The Collection of the Rodin Museum, Philadelphia. Philadelphia: Philadelphia Museum of Art. p. 348. ISBN 978-0876330180.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  4. ^ a b c d Lampert, Catherine; Romain, Antoinette (2006). Rodin: His Art and His Inspiration. Harry N Abrams. p. 206. ISBN 978-1903973660.
  5. ^ Ressouni-Demigneux, Karim (2008). Les grands scandales de l'histoire de l'art: cinq siècles de ruptures, de censures et de chefs-d'œuvre. Paris: Beaux Arts éditions. p. 126.
  6. ^ Varnedoe, Kirk (2001). Rodin: a magnificent obsession. London : Merrell. p. 149. ISBN 978-1858941431.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: publisher location (link)
  7. ^ "L'Age D'Airain (Age Of Bronze) > Search Our Fine Art Collection > Collection > Albright-Knox Art Gallery". Archived from the original on 21 May 2016. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
  8. ^ "Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek by Brian McMorrow". Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  9. ^ "Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Copenhagen, Denmark". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 14 September 2015.
  10. ^ "Nationalmuseum, Stockholm". Archived from the original on 30 November 2021. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  11. ^ fr:Lycée Rodin
  12. ^ "05 Auguste Rodin (France) - MIDDELHEIM MUSEUM". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  13. ^ "Musée d'Orsay: Auguste Rodin The Bronze Age". Archived from the original on 22 August 2014. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  14. ^ "The Age of Bronze - Rodin Museum". Archived from the original on 1 October 2013. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
  15. ^ Database (undated). "Auguste Rodin" Archived June 13, 2010, at the Wayback Machine. Nasher Sculpture Center. Retrieved 3 May 2012.
  16. ^ "Auguste Rodin - The Age of Bronze - Collection - The National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo". Archived from the original on 20 October 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  17. ^ "［ID:7584］ 青銅時代 ： 収蔵品情報 - 収蔵品データベース - 東京藝術大学大学美術館". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  18. ^ "Profile of Works - TOKYO FUJI ART MUSEUM". Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 1 September 2015.
  19. ^ "On Display in QAG Sculpture Garden". Archived from the original on 9 April 2024. Retrieved 9 April 2024.
  20. ^ {{https://www.bing.com/search?pglt=41&q=age+of+bronze+manchester+art+gallery&cvid=f29f0a44693a495fa43b5c9e034c0250&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyBggAEEUYOTIGCAEQABhAMgYIAhAAGEAyBggDEAAYQDIGCAQQABhAMgYIBRAAGEAyBggGEAAYQDIGCAcQABhAMgYICBAAGEAyCAgJEOkHGPxV0gEJMTc1MzZqMGoxqAIAsAIA&FORM=ANNAB1&PC=U531}}
  21. ^ "Chrysler Museum European Painting and Sculpture Collection". Archived from the original on 9 November 2019. Retrieved 9 November 2019.

Bibliography

  • Le Normand-Romain, Antoinette; Judrin, Claude; Vassalo, I. (1997). Vers l'âge d'airain, Rodin en Belgique: Exposition. Paris: Musée Rodin editions. ISBN 978-2-901428-60-2.
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