Description

The eroticism of the non-finito

Auguste Rodin was one of the most important forerunners of classical modernism in the medium of sculpture. He explored the human body and its translation into three dimensions with an intensity matched by no other sculptor. Working from nature, in the shape of life models, he arrived at a completely new formal language. His artistic attention was thereby directed above all at the female body. With Iris, Messenger of the Gods (c. 1890/91), the Fondation Beyeler owns one of Rodin’s most erotic sculptures. The animated surface of her skin, the physical tension of her body, and the sophisticated interplay of light and shadow are signature features of Rodin’s style and elevate the seemingly ‘flying’ figure into mythical spheres. The non-finito aspect of Iris, Messenger of the Gods is likewise typical of Rodin’s oeuvre. Unlike unfinished Roman statues, abandoned for reasons beyond the artist’s control, the sense of non-finito clinging to Rodin’s sculpture is a calculated effect. Auguste Rodin deliberately employed non-finito as a stylistic means, one that would influence many great artists to come. 

ANSICHTEN no. 9 takes an in-depth look at the artistic oeuvre of Auguste Rodin. Detailed descriptions, technical data, special features, background information, and questions of interpretation all fall within the scope of this booklet.

ANSICHTEN is aimed at art lovers and teachers looking to engage in greater depth with the works of the Fondation Beyeler.

The journal also features a practical section, which presents ideas, tasks and experiments that may be carried out at the museum, at school or at home.

ANSICHTEN playfully provides readers with thorough knowledge of the works of the Beyeler Collection.