The Three Shades 1886

Editor: Today we’re looking at Auguste Rodin’s "The Three Shades", cast in bronze around 1886. There's this overwhelming sense of despair radiating from the bowed heads and the straining muscles. What strikes you most about this sculpture? Curator: It’s a truly monumental piece, isn't it? For me, it’s the repetition. Rodin originally conceived these figures individually, and then he bound them together. That multiplied sense of sorrow and judgment... I wonder if we’re meant to question whose grief, whose burden, we're truly witnessing. Almost makes you want to turn away, doesn't it? Editor: Definitely! The way their bodies seem to merge creates a powerful, almost suffocating feeling. I also wonder about the unified stance despite being different bodies. Is there a significance to it being bronze, do you think? Curator: Ah, that's a brilliant question! Bronze gives a timeless quality, an echo of ancient sculpture. But also consider bronze's capacity to capture light, and therefore shadow. Do you think it speaks to the human form and condition of his characters? Editor: Yes, like the shadows are clinging to them, eternally defining their form and pain. Curator: Precisely. I think, ultimately, Rodin invites us to grapple with the weight of human existence, not as something external, but as an intrinsic part of our shared form. What a legacy! Editor: This was more enriching than simply looking at it. Thanks. Curator: My pleasure! It’s works like these that remind us that art is a journey, a conversation we carry on with ourselves and each other, in front of these incredible artifacts.