Two Figures c. 1905

Auguste Rodin made this drawing of two figures with watercolor and pencil. The color palette is like skin, thin washes that feel immediate. I love the layering in this; Rodin isn't afraid to let lines and colors overlap. It's almost like he’s mapping out the bodies, searching for the right form. Look at the way the watercolor pools and blooms, especially around the breasts. The way the color bleeds creates this soft, sensual effect, as if the figures are emerging from a dream. Rodin reminds me of Egon Schiele, in that they both captured the raw, unfiltered human form. But where Schiele's lines are sharp and angular, Rodin's are fluid and yielding. Art is so often about this ongoing exchange of ideas, like a never-ending conversation, or embrace.