PARIS.- The exhibition Hell according to Rodin invites the public to take a fresh look at an iconic work of art: The Gates of Hell. Over 170 works – including 60 drawings that are rarely on public display, and numerous sculptures restored for the exhibition – will immerse visitors in the fascinating history of this masterpiece, which was so influential in the development of sculpture and the arts. With these mysterious, imposing doors that never open, Rodin presents a spectacular view of Hell - feverish and tormented.
Two sources of literary inspiration
The Gates of Hell was the defining project of Rodin’s career. When, in 1880, the sculptor received the commission for what was to be an entrance for the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, he was still a relatively unknown artist. For almost a decade he threw himself into passionate research for the project, taking his inspiration initially from Dante’s Divine Comedy, then increasingly from Baudelaire’s Fleurs du Mal. Developing the architectural elements of the Gates (basreliefs, pilasters, decorative elements) as much as the characters that swarm across its surface, Rodin created new forms to express human passions – in the words of the critic Gustave Geffroy, “The sculptor’s research and his found objects are visible in this triumphant creation of hands and intellect: new attitudes”.
The genesis of the masterpiece
The numerous groups and figures of the damned that Rodin designed, modelled and assembled, make up a repertoire of forms that he would re-use subsequently throughout his career, in a process of continuous renewal and reinvention. Many of the sculptor’s most well-known works came out of this creative drive that propelled him to the forefront of the artistic scene, starting with The Thinker, The Kiss, Ugolino, Danaïd and The Shades. A close examination of The Gates of Hell throws light on all Rodin’s work as it forms a summary of his stylistic experiments, and is a starting point for the many variations that stemmed from his favorite techniques: fragmentation, assemblage, enlargement, reduction, repetition, etc.
Previously unseen works
Fascinated by the human body, whether suffering, violent or erotic, Rodin continually designed, modelled and reworked his earlier creations in order to capture and to express all the impulses of the soul. The special display of over 50 “black drawings”, often annotated by Rodin, will reveal this search for composition and movement. Particularly fragile and precious, these line drawings, highlighted with washes of ink and of gouache are rarely exhibited. Around thirty sculptures, specially restored for the exhibition, will be displayed for the first time.
The exhibition extends into the museum’s sculpture garden, where there is a bronze version of the Gates, while visitors to the
Rodin Museum in Meudon can admire the large plaster version that Rodin presented to the public in his major personal exhibition in 1900 – a version without the high relief figures and groups, a stage in the development of a work where the crowd effect was so important. Visitors can find further information through the online resources on the Museum’s website.
Curator: François Blanchetière, musée Rodin
