September 25, 2012

The Kiss.

Do you know The Kiss, by Rodin? Locked in luminous white marble for all eternity, these lovers seem not to mind.



Au contraire! They're completely absorbed in their embrace, oblivious to onlookers. I almost felt like a voyeur as I drew them.



You might say that drawing statues is not strictly 'life drawing', but with Rodin, they do feel alive to me.



It's helpful that statues don't move around too much.



But you never know with Rodin.

I went to the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia with my mom. It's a collection of many of his sculptures mainly in bronze and marble. I loved it there; I loved the tranquility, the thoughtful balance between aggression and tenderness in every gesture. Go see it.


14 comments:

  1. Wow, awesome use of Paint coupled with some fine draughtsmanship there.
    I remember when The Kiss sat in the foyer of The Tate (now Tate Britain) coupled with a Stanley Spencer self portrait of himself naked with his wife which hung at the far end of the corridor it was the British schoolchild's introduction to both Fine Art and the mysteries of adult life.
    They shuffle the art round at The Tate much more these days (quite right too) and last time I was there the same space was occupied by Richard Serra - magnificent in its own way but not quite the same.

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    1. Thanks Caedmon; actually it's Paper by 53 on the iPad - check it out, a very simple app. What an interesting juxtaposition of The Kiss next to Stanley Spencer's Double Nude. Just thinking about how different those two works are makes my head explode!

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  2. There is a similar statue in Rome, but there they are so involved with one another that they dont notice the third chap sitting on the floor at their feet. I suppose he is waiting his turn, but if you ever go, you should definately sketch this one as a story too :)

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    1. I would love to see that! Do you have a photo or link to a photo?

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    2. I'll try dig one out of my holiday snaps, but its at the Vittoriano in the centre of Rome....how do I get a pic to you?

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    3. Cool! How about email? Littleanimation@gmail.com

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  3. That's awesome...as the French would say. They do look like they're moving and your drawing captures that perfectly.

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Cuz You Rocketh.