Study of a hand 1900 - 1912

Here’s a plaster hand study by Auguste Rodin that you can find at the Met. The off-white colour and rough texture gives the impression that it was made quickly, like a sketch. Up close, the marks are really apparent; you can almost feel the artist working the clay, adding and subtracting material in a very physical way. The surface is rugged and uneven, with all these bumps and dips that catch the light. Notice the cracks throughout the piece that create a sense of age, as if the hand itself has endured the tests of time. It’s a reminder that the artistic process is all about building things up, breaking them down, and seeing what happens in between. Rodin's hand makes me think of Medardo Rosso, another sculptor who wasn't afraid to let the marks of process show, embracing imperfection and valuing the immediacy of the creative act.