Bust of Bellona 1882 - 1885

Curator: This etching, entitled "Bust of Bellona", was created by Auguste Rodin between 1882 and 1885. Editor: It feels almost ghostly. The restrained monochrome and delicate linework impart a real sense of austerity. Curator: Rodin's skill with etching brings an interesting ambiguity to the mythological figure. Bellona was the Roman goddess of war. Do you feel that image holds up here? Editor: Absolutely. She isn't romanticized or glorified as in traditional neoclassical renderings. Rodin emphasizes her weary, perhaps even sorrowful, expression. The helmet seems less like a symbol of power and more like a burden. I am interested in what may seem like an allegory, not just a symbol of Roman military prowess, but something akin to mourning the glory and celebrating inner feelings instead. Curator: The shading around her eyes does invite such an interpretation. It counters what could have been a far more rigid depiction. I find the visible etching lines particularly captivating—they introduce a controlled asymmetry, a sense of texture that's somewhat absent in traditional engravings. Editor: And the composition! The cropped bust against all that negative space only intensifies that feeling of introspection. It is quite daring for a portrait of such an iconic figure. The visual economy serves to highlight the psychological intensity. Curator: I'd agree. There's a striking contrast between the clean lines delineating the armor and the softer, more fluid treatment of her hair. That opposition draws attention to her face and, as you say, her emotional state. Editor: So, Rodin gives us not just the goddess, but a pensive exploration of the cost and weight of conflict itself, and possibly his view of his contemporary, military ambitions. A meditation on the personal versus the grand, perhaps. Curator: A thought-provoking tension indeed. I find Rodin's work in this piece a fascinating departure from pure representation and closer to something altogether more emotionally resonant and subtly confrontational.