Auguste Rodin c. 19th century

Curator: What a study in contrasts this drawing is! Renoir's "Auguste Rodin," housed here at Harvard, captures the sculptor in a surprisingly soft light. Editor: Immediately, I notice the textures. The rough grain of the paper fights with the delicacy of Renoir's line work. It is almost as if the very materials are at odds. Curator: Yes, it's an interesting tension. Renoir seems to be grappling with Rodin's very being, the monumentality versus the man. A sculptor's hands rendered so gently! Editor: And how were these drawings reproduced and circulated? Was this a luxury object, or was it part of a larger print run making art accessible to a wider audience? That matters, of course. Curator: It's like Renoir saw beyond the rough-hewn, saw the sensitivity in Rodin, capturing a soul, not just a surface. Editor: It's that friction, though, the tension between the medium and the subject, that really holds my gaze. Curator: Absolutely! It’s a conversation etched in graphite, wouldn't you say? Editor: Indeed. A quiet but persistent dialogue.