Nude Woman Carrying Vase on Head 1909

Curator: Rodin's "Nude Woman Carrying Vase on Head," made around 1909 using watercolor, pencil, and charcoal, presents us with a figure rendered in delicate washes and subtle lines. Editor: It feels fragile, almost like a memory. The lines are so faint; it suggests the impermanence of the body and perhaps the burdens we carry. Curator: The nude figure carrying a vase is a classical trope, echoing caryatids from ancient architecture. But Rodin subverts the stoicism often associated with those figures, presenting a softer, more vulnerable form. We see the weight of the vase implied in the line of her arm. I wonder if Rodin means to challenge assumptions about the ideal feminine. Editor: Precisely, it makes me wonder about the actual labor. What kind of vase is it? And more importantly, what is its relationship to the nude figure and the tools that were necessary for its making: the kiln, clay, glazes, and labor required for that type of specialized craftwork? How do we reconcile such seemingly disparate spheres of labor, artistry, and the nude body? Curator: The vase as a symbolic object is a vessel. So perhaps its placement above the head infers wisdom, containing memory, knowledge and traditions. Its elevation transforming her figure into a monument to what exactly I couldn't specify! Editor: That’s what I find intriguing—the ambiguity. Rodin isn’t giving us answers. Rather, he invites us to ponder the social implications of that ancient image through modern materials. Curator: Absolutely. I'm seeing how his use of watercolor softens the contours. The way light seems to dissolve the edges between form and the space around it transforms our way of interpreting classical imagery through symbolist ideas. Editor: Considering his sculpting practice—the heavy material labor with plaster and bronze, to find this fragile pencil drawing highlights for me how artists frequently worked through material experimentation and their associated class relationships. I found new perspectives about how artwork communicates ideas. Curator: Indeed. Perhaps this delicate rendering leaves more of an emotional mark.