Artist Name:
Auguste Rodin
Nationality & Life Dates:
French, 1840–1917
Title:
Half Length Figure of a Woman (The Martyr)
Date:
conceived ca. 1910; cast 1966
Medium:
Bronze
Dimensions:
29 x 18 x 25 inches
Credit Line:
Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation
Accession Number:
2009.36
On View - Stent Family Wing, Second Level, Gallery 210
Half Length Figure of a Woman is a compelling example of Rodin’s experimentation with the human figure. In 1910 Rodin photographed this sculpture, but he had removed its head, neck, and shoulder. He had also placed a large wedge underneath the figure’s thighs, effectively arching the torso backward. Although Rodin eventually reattached a head to the sculpture, it is clear that he used this work to explore the dynamics of the human body almost to the point of abstraction.