#1 Midterm Rodin

Question 1

What are the major characteristics of relief that cause it to become the primary mode for sculpture in the neoclassical tradition?

Answer 1

The major characteristics of relief that cause it to become the primary mode for sculpture in the neoclassical tradition are:

• Frontality (total frontal view)
• Virtuality of the ground (space behind the relief).

Question 2

Describe three tactics that Rodin employs to disrupt the legibility of relief.

Answer 2

Rodin’s tactics to disrupt the legibility of relief is:

1. The use of repetition
2. No virtuality of ground. The ground is literal
3. His distortion of anatomy

** Further, has way of showing the process of making his sculptures also disrupts the legibility of reliefs.

Question 3

To what end does he do this?

Answer 3

These tactics are seen in several of his pieces. For example, The Three Shades is influenced by The Three Graces.

The Three Graces is a piece done by Canova. The piece displays three women together in different positions, but essentially it is the same women. The idea is where ever you stand when looking at the sculpture you’re able to get the same story.

Rodin created The Three Shades which opposes the narrative element seen in The Three Graces. The sculpture is of three men standing in the same position. This disrupts the narrative because since they’re all in the same position there is no story.

Further the position of the men is a very awkward position and unproportional to a real human body, which further causes distortion.

Question 4

To what end does he do this?

Answer 4

The Gates of Hell is another example. In this piece the figures are isolated. There is no virtual ground connecting the piece. This also goes against the use of narrative.

Question 5

What does Rosalind Krauss mean by the phrase the “manifest intelligibility of surfaces?

Answer 5

The phrase stated by Rosalind Krauss - “manifest intelligibility of surfaces” means the meaning is on the surface. An object is seen by you and you take it in to interpret. Essentially the meaning is in between you and the object.

Question 6

What is the relationship between Husserl’s philosophical ideas and Rodin’s sculptures?

Answer 6

Husseral stated that there is a synchrony between you and experience/objects. Essentially, who you are is in between you and the experience or object or other people. It is in between private and the public

Question 7

What is the relationship between Husserl’s philosophical ideas and Rodin’s sculptures?

Answer 7

This idea relates to Rodin’s technique in expressing the process in his work. He takes away the narrative, and the endless space that is seen in typical neoclassical reliefs and sculptures.

Instead he is repetitive and isolates his images. Further, he keeps the marks of his work - it is not smooth and perfect.

The reason for all this is he is trying to keep the meaning at the surface. It stops the viewer from looking too deep for a meaning and pulls the meaning to the surface. The meaning is in between Rodin and his materials. The meaning is in between the sculpture and you.