Rodin Exhibit in Montreal

I have long been an admirer of the French sculptor, Rodin.

I first noticed his work when I was a university student and came across one of his sculptures on campus. That led me to visit his Paris studio, now a museum of his art. But that was years ago.

So I was looking forward to seeing his work again, this time as a visiting exhibit at a Montreal gallery.

After doing hand-building in pottery for a few years, would I view his sculptures any differently?

Technically, I was surprised to discover that, like many potters and hand-builders, he created molds for his work, and would use them again and again. Rodin apparently had a room full of molds for body parts.

I was also surprised to hear that he didn't do all the work by himself, hiring apprentices to make smaller versions of a piece, so that it could be made - and sold - in different sizes.

(I had never really thought of the commercial necessity of constantly selling.)

A hint of private tragedy in this sculpture - a woman's head sticking out an unfinished block. The face is a young woman apprentice (later an accomplished artist in her own right) who had an affair with Rodin and ended up going mad...

All in all, an interesting exhibit to see.