Portrait of Balzac c. 1893 - 1933

Rodin created this bronze sculpture of Balzac, the famous French novelist, sometime in the late 19th century. Look at the way Rodin has handled the surface. It's rough, raw, almost like he's attacking the material, building it up and tearing it down at the same time. You can see the energy of his hands in the clay. I find myself drawn to the way the figure emerges from the base, the folds of the robe clinging to Balzac's legs like wet earth. It’s as though he is not just standing, but rising, solidifying from the ground. The face is not so much a likeness as a projection of character, intense and brooding. Rodin coaxes it out through the manipulation of form and light. Rodin reminds me of Medardo Rosso, another sculptor who was obsessed with the fleeting effects of light on form. Both were interested in capturing a sense of movement and change, rather than a static representation of reality. It's all about the process, the struggle, the messy, imperfect journey of creation.