Head of Arthur Jerome Eddy 1898

Editor: So, this is Auguste Rodin’s "Head of Arthur Jerome Eddy," from 1898, cast in bronze. It strikes me as surprisingly…grounded? Like, not the grand, romantic Rodin I expected. What are your first impressions? Curator: Oh, but isn't that exactly the Rodin we find ourselves wrestling with constantly? He’s always nudging at the boundary between raw physicality and transcendent emotion. I see that conflict wonderfully rendered here. See how the smoothness of Eddy’s face is abruptly interrupted by the roughly hewn texture of the chest and suit. It's like a half-formed thought emerging from the chaos. Do you catch that tension? Editor: I do. It’s like the…unrefined base is trying to swallow the idealised face. Curator: Precisely! It begs the question: What is more real, more "him"? Is it the composed public persona, or the churning, inchoate energy that supports it? And knowing Eddy was a prominent art collector and critic – primarily interested in modern art movements – does it shift your understanding of this sculpture? Editor: Definitely. Maybe Rodin’s capturing Eddy's embrace of the new, the unfinished, the unconventional? It's as though the traditional bust form is fighting against Eddy’s avant-garde spirit! Curator: Beautifully put! It becomes less about likeness, and more about the spirit of a man grappling with, and championing, change. Don't you think portraiture like this is infinitely more engaging than simply capturing appearances? Editor: Absolutely. I came in expecting a standard portrait, and I’m leaving thinking about the very nature of identity itself. Thank you for sharing your perspective. Curator: And thank you for your thoughtful questioning, it is lovely to re-discover a familiar piece together through fresh eyes.