Rodin: The Man and his Art by Judith Cladel

Description

Rodin: The Man and His Art — Judith Cladel's Rodin: The Man and His Art is an intimate portrait of Auguste Rodin (1840–1917) by someone who knew him personally. Cladel — a French novelist and friend of the sculptor — writes with warmth and firsthand authority about the creator of The Thinker, The Kiss, and The Gates of Hell. Originally published in French and translated into English in 1917, the book follows Rodin's extraordinary journey from poverty and years of rejection to triumph as the most celebrated sculptor of his age.

Cladel captures not only the artist's monumental achievements, but the man behind them: his discipline, his passions, his relationships, and the philosophy that guided his art. That is the book's real gift. Anyone can admire The Thinker; Cladel shows you what it cost to become the man who could make it — the early years when the art world said no, the stubborn daily work in the studio, the relationships that sustained and complicated him, and the philosophy of art that held it all together. Her narrative is enriched with insights drawn from Rodin's own notes and reflections, so the master's voice keeps breaking through the biography at exactly the moments when you most want to hear it.

A rare firsthand account from within Rodin's circle, this is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the genius behind the marble — in the words of one who was there. Pick up the ebook at a discount from Tellebook.

Rodin's road to fame was slow, and this biography does not hurry it. Years of rejection, the struggle to be accepted by the Salon, and the controversies that followed his public monuments all shaped the sculptor he became — proof that the most celebrated artist of his age was also one of the most doubted.

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