Like
some artists, Rodin was not an overnight success. Even though he was rejected
numerous times from art schools because of his art style, he prevailed in the
end. Rodin, like many artists, got their inspiration from other great and famous
artists. In Rodin's case, his inspiration came from Michelangelo. In Rodin's
more famous works, one can see the similarities between the two artists'
artwork. Rodin's parents were not wealthy, therefore, he was not able to attend
an art school of his choice. His father, however, did send him to Petite École,
"a training ground for commercial draftsman and practiciens--cutters and
finishers of work in stone" (Hale 38). At the age of seventeen, Rodin won
his first prize for a clay model and he came in second place for one of his
drawings. His teachers at Petite École encouraged him to "try for the
Grande École des Beaux-Arts" (Hale 39). He applied, but was not accepted.
Not giving up hope, Rodin applied two more times, but was rejected. Determined
to make a living, he worked for a large commercial designer. It was there, that
he created numerous objects with his hands; anything from masks of gods to
cupids. This is where he began to see that he had a future in what he loved the
most, art. Even though Rodin was an artist, his career did not take off so soon.
When he was 22, his sister Maria died. He anguished so much over her death that
he decided to leave his art. He quit everything and decided to enter the Order
of the Fathers of the Very Holy Sacrament. While living in the monastery, Rodin
confided in Father Eymard, and he was the one that told Rodin to continue
sculpting and not to give up. Rodin eventually realized that religion was not
his calling and once he had enough money saved up, he moved into his first
studio. From that point on, he was fully committed to his artwork. Rodin said
that it was so cold in his studio, (he could not afford to have heat) that he
would wake up and see parts of his sculptures on the floor. "Since I didn't
have the money to have them cast, each day I lost precious time covering my clay
with wet cloths. Despite that, at every turn I had accidents from the effects of
the cold and heat. Entire sections detached themselves–heads, arms, knees,
chunks of torso fell off; I found them in pieces on the tiles that covered the
floor... You could not believe what I lost in that way" (Hale 42). In 1864,
Rodin created a masterpiece, something that would change his life forever. He
created The Man with the Broken Nose, and with the new creation he said,
"It determined all my future work" (Hale 43). The "new"
sculpture was not found to be worth anything after Rodin tried to enter it in
the Salon. So, he took it back home and placed it in a corner for numerous
years. One day, one of Rodin's students saw the lonely bust and asked if he
could borrow it to make copy. Rodin did not refuse and when the student, Jules
Desbois took it to his classmates at the Grande École, they were astounded. All
of Desbois's classmates stood around with amazement, all asking who created such
an antique (meaning that is was old, in a sense of not being used or displayed)
masterpiece. Desbois said, "‘The man who made it, whose name is Rodin,
failed three times to enter the school, and the work you take to be antique was
refused by the Salon'" (Hale 45). In 1866, Rose, his girlfriend, gave birth
to a baby boy. He soon had a job with one of the best employers around, Carrier-Belleuse.
There, he was a draftsman, molder, finisher and a caster. He eventually left
because he had all the money that he claimed he needed. In 1870, he was called
to serve in the National Guard, but was released because of his poor vision. By
this time, there was no money and Rodin tried to call previous clients that
could possibly want some decorating done. All ties were broken after he left the
reputable company Carrier-Belleuse. After months without having any work, Rose
left him and Rodin decided to join a partnership with another ex-employee of
Carrier-Belleuse. Together, the two men made sculptures and reliefs (sculptural
technique where-by figures are carved out of a block of stone, part of which is
left to form a background. Depending on the degree to which the figures project,
the relief is described as either high or low, Cunningham 494) for a number of
building in Brussels. Auguste made a decent living from his commission and he
was soon able to do what he always wanted to do; travel to Italy. In 1875, Rodin
was able to afford to move to Italy, where he studied Michelangelo almost
immediately. At this point, Italy was probably the best thing that could have
happened to Rodin. "From the moment I arrived, I began to study
Michelangelo...and I believe this great magician will reveal some of his secrets
to me..." (Hale 50). "Having found his affinity for Michelangelo,
Rodin now tackled the problem of how to draw on his example, not just copy from
it. He began work on a full-scale figure that, while showing Michelangelo's
influence, was quite unlike anything Rodin had actually seen in Italy. The
piece, a male nude destined to become famous as The Age of Bronze, was
freestanding, both literally and figuratively, and it signaled the end of
Rodin's 20-year apprenticeship in art" (Hale 50). When Rodin sculpted The
Age of Bronze, he began a "Michelangelesque alternative. Rodin explained
that the master arranged the body in the shape of a console, head bent, thorax
incurved and knees at the lower bulge: this shape results in very deep shadows
in the hollow of the chest and under the leg...we notice that this sculpture
expresses the painful withdrawal of the being into himself, restless energy, the
will to act without hope of success, and finally the martyrdom of the creature
who is tormented by his unrealisable aspirations" (Lampert 14). In the
later part of this year, "aware that the anniversary of Michelangelo's
birth was being celebrated by special exhibitions, Rodin aged thirty-five, had
set out on foot. His avowed intention was to discover the secret of movement in
Michelangelo. What he brought back was not a full portfolio of sketches with
useful ‘secrets' or even motifs of the Renaissance masters, but a highly
personal, intoxicating memory of what it was like to experience great art"
(Lampert 12-13). Early on in the year of 1877, Rodin was accused of being an
imposter. The Salon claimed that he had taken a statue and just molded right
over it with new material. When Rodin found out what he was being accused of, he
rushed to the press and had pictures taken to prove that he was not an imposter,
and to prove that the sculpture was not exactly like the human body. Finally,
the Salon concluded that it was not the same thing and Rodin said, "I have
learned how to use it [bronze casting]." Rodin returned to Paris in
late1877, when a death occurred in the family. Rodin had lost his mother, and
now his father had gone blind and was beginning to turn senile. If that were not
enough, his son, from his common-law wife Rose (who had returned), was almost
completely retarded. Some say that it is possible that he suffered a head injury
when he fell from a two-story window as a young baby. Even though his son was
dying, Rodin attempted to give his son drawing lessons, but his son appeared to
ignore him. Throughout Auguste Rodin's work, one can see the similarities
between his work and Michelangelo's work. One can assume that after one man
studies another great man, traits and ideas will shine through the artists'
work. The Age of Bronze resembles Michelangelo's Dying Slave by the posture that
the two statues share. The two men are twisted in the same fashion, as if they
are "frozen" and sculpted just as the artist saw them. One leg of each
statue has its knee bent, both heads are looking forward, and the arm is raised
in the air. "But there the similarity ends. The Slave is wearing sinking;
Rodin's youth seems on the point of awakening, soon to stride forth with fresh
energy" (Hale 51). Rodin's Crouching Woman resembles many characteristics
from Michelangelo's Crouching Youth. The Crouching Woman, created between
1880-1882, looks as if she has eternal suffering. This is given away by the way
her knees are bent, implying that she may be helpless, she wants to be pitied,
or she is tired. Without the way the figure is positioned, from first
impression, she looks like she is a tribal woman or a woman who works hard and
is ready to give in. "The tribal woman, uncontaminated by conventional
sense of property but not necessarily virginal. Rodin may have been tempted for
years to place a model in the pose of Michelangelo's Crouching Youth" (Lampert
57-61). Lastly, squeezing of the breast "suggests that she gave birth and
is nursing a child"(Lampert 205). The similarities between the two statues
is easier to see than the differences. Both figures heads are tilted the same
way. Both knees are bent and intertwined with her own arms; while one hand holds
one foot. Both women have clear muscle definition, but the facial expression is
just like the muscle definition, obvious that there are no emotions to show.
Lastly, both sculptures are left in an un-sculptured stone for a base. Two of
Rodin's sculptures resemble many of Michelangelo's pieces; Rodin's Vase des
Titans, resembles Michelangelo's Igundi, Night and Day. The figures of the vase
are positioned in the same way as well as posed in the same fashion. The
man-like figures have the same muscle contortions that show a sense of muscle
strain, just like the men in Michelangelo's work. "Rodin made a four seated
Titans each measuring only 30cm, their back bent to support a jardiniere bowl.
The poses are taken in essence from the contrapuntal figures of Michelangelo's
Igundi and his Night and Day" (Lampert 18). The sculpture of the Reclining
Titans resembles the same works of Michelangelo, the Igundi, which is on the
Sistine Chapel ceiling. Both sets of men have a sexual appeal because of the way
that their legs are together and then apart. Once again, Michelangelo's work can
be seen in Rodin's Faun and Child. The Faun and Child was designed in December
1882, and is almost a replica of Michelangelo's sketch of the prophet Jechonius.
Both adult figures have their heads looking back, as if both guardian and child
are in danger. Secondly, the guardian is holding the child with his/her left
arm. Lastly, it seems as though the children are either reaching or looking at
something that they yearn for. There is not much information about how
Michelangelo influenced Rodin's work of the Bibi bust; which soon was the head
for The Man with the Broken Nose. "Rodin seems to be haunted by the
Michelangelo when he produced the bust of Bibi as a kind of allegory of the
endurance of mankind" (Hale 43). Lastly, The Three Shadows is one that I
find very interesting. One says: "the influence of Michelangelo on Rodin's
Adam is clear enough: not only is the contortion familiar but so too is the
gesture of the right hand with pointing finger. The Shade, a variation of Adam,
is considerably more original: the left arm hangs clear of the body, the spine
becomes a deep groove and the neck is bent so radically that it forms a straight
line with the shoulder giving the subject more of the denatured presence of the
Shades who appeared in the tiny drawings" (Lampert 205-206). Rodin was a
very talented artist, sculptor, and thinker. He was able to make people see
things the way that he saw them, and even though it was tough getting started,
he prevailed and was able to live happily; considering what a hard life he had.
Rodin died in November 1917 and his common-law wife, Rose, died in February of
1917. Rodin died with having completed over 400 sculptures and 7,000 drawings.
Finally, two of Rodin's most famous pieces of work were finally shown in the
Salon in 1878, The Man with the Broken Nose and the Age of Bronze.

BibliographyCunningham, Lawrence and John Reich. Culture and Values: A
Survey of the Western Humanities. Vol. 2, 4th Edition. Forth Worth: Harcourt
Brace College Publishers, 1998. Hale, William Harlan and the Editors of
Time-Life Books. The World of Rodin: 1840-1917. Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1978.
Lampert, Catherine. Rodin: Sculpture and Drawings. Hong Kong: Kwong Fat Offset
Printing Co. Ltd., 1986