Young Mother in the Grotto

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Young Mother in the Grotto
Jeune mere dans la grotte - Auguste Rodin.jpg
Artist Auguste Rodin
Year 1885 (conceived) / 1967 (cast)
Medium Plaster, later cast in bronze.

Young Mother in the Grotto or Woman and Love is a sculpture by Auguste Rodin, conceived in plaster around 1885. It was first exhibited at the Paris Salon of 1885. [1] John Tweed was very close to Rodin and Young Mother was a strong influence on his 1894 Mother and Child. [2]

Auguste Rodin French sculptor

François Auguste René Rodin, known as Auguste Rodin, was a French sculptor. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past. He was schooled traditionally, took a craftsman-like approach to his work, and desired academic recognition, although he was never accepted into Paris's foremost school of art.

John Tweed British sculptor

John Tweed was a Scottish sculptor.

The first versions of the work were made in the 1860s whilst Rodin was working for the Sevres Manufactory. He was allowed to experiment there and explore the possibilities of this work, which culminated in the 1885 piece. Rodin was exploring maternal love at this time, as also seen in Eternal Springtime - both groups originally had a kind of roof which threw them into a deeper shade. That piece also featured on the lower left of the same artist's The Gates of Hell .

<i>Eternal Springtime</i> sculpture by Auguste Rodin

Eternal Springtime is a c. 1884 sculpture by the French artist Auguste Rodin, depicting a pair of lovers. It was created at the same time as The Gates of Hell and originally intended to be part of it.

<i>The Gates of Hell</i> monumental sculptural group work by French artist Auguste Rodin

The Gates of Hell is a monumental sculptural group work by French artist Auguste Rodin that depicts a scene from the Inferno, the first section of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy. It stands at 6 metres high, 4 metres wide and 1 metre deep (19.7×13.1×3.3 ft) and contains 180 figures. The figures range from 15 centimetres (6 in) high up to more than one metre (3 ft). Several of the figures were also cast independently by Rodin.

Rodin also produced autograph versions of Young Mother in ivory and bronze over the course of his life - these versions were modelled after his wife Rose Beuret and her child Auguste-Eugéne. [3] Rodin contrasts the rough rock with the softness of the figures' skin, evoking a contrast between life and death, with Michelangelo as one of the main influences on the work. [4]

Michelangelo Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet

Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni or more commonly known by his first name Michelangelo was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect and poet of the High Renaissance born in the Republic of Florence, who exerted an unparalleled influence on the development of Western art. Considered by many the greatest artist of his lifetime, and by some the greatest artist of all time, his artistic versatility was of such a high order that he is often considered a contender for the title of the archetypal Renaissance man, along with his rival, the fellow Florentine and client of the Medici, Leonardo da Vinci.

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References

  1. "Young Mother in the Grotto". Rodin Museum. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  2. "Mother and Child". V&A Museum. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  3. "Auguste Rodin, 'The young Mother'". V&A Museum. Retrieved 2016-06-12.
  4. "Young Mother in the Grotto". www.philamuseum.org. Retrieved 2016-06-12.