The Evil Spirits c. 1899

Curator: Auguste Rodin created this marble sculpture, “The Evil Spirits,” around 1899. What are your initial thoughts? Editor: There's a real sense of torment here. It’s physically compact, but the implied emotions feel vast and raw. The intertwined figures suggest conflict and despair, a real human struggle being visualized. Curator: Rodin’s process was quite fascinating. He didn't carve the marble himself initially. Instead, he relied on skilled practitioners to transfer his plaster models into stone. Think of the labor involved! The extraction of the raw material, the specialized knowledge to cut the stone, then the meticulous chiseling based on Rodin's designs. Editor: It's compelling how Rodin used figuration here to convey very complex ideas. The embrace is suffocating rather than comforting. The weight of the top figure, presumably an “evil spirit,” bearing down on the other. We must remember Rodin lived through a tumultuous period, filled with industrial advancements and also extreme poverty and class division. What societal evils was Rodin indicting through this heavy image? Curator: That's a great point! I think examining how sculptors utilized studio assistants raises essential questions about artistic labor and value. In Rodin's studio, how was the process organized, and how much autonomy was given to the carvers translating his vision? This all affected the final object. Editor: Absolutely. Plus, understanding who had access to art like this – and who was being represented – gives the work added layers of meaning. Were these the kind of demons plaguing the bourgeoisie as the 20th Century dawned? Or is it about a wider suffering of humankind? There's a definite socio-political message encoded in those writhing forms, isn’t there? Curator: It undeniably speaks to broader anxieties and moral struggles within that period. The methods used to bring the material and the sculpture itself into being were undeniably impactful in creating that tension. Editor: Considering those contexts helps unpack a dense work with a power and lasting emotional resonance. Curator: Indeed, from the stone itself to the final composition, the piece reveals how cultural moments transform both artistic practices and cultural dialogue.