''Balzac in the Robe of a Dominican Monk'' is a

bronze Bronze is an alloy consisting primarily of copper, commonly with about 12–12.5% tin and often with the addition of other metals (including aluminium, manganese, nickel, or zinc) and sometimes non-metals, such as phosphorus, or metalloids such ...

sculpture by French artist

Auguste Rodin François Auguste René Rodin (12 November 184017 November 1917) was a French sculptor, generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a uniqu ...

, one of the studies made in preparation to the

Monument to Balzac ''Monument to Balzac'' is a sculpture by Auguste Rodin in memory of the French novelist Honoré de Balzac. According to Rodin, the sculpture aims to portray the writer's persona rather than a physical likeness. The work was commissioned in 1891 ...

, a tribute to novelist

Honoré de Balzac Honoré de Balzac ( , more commonly , ; born Honoré Balzac;Jean-Louis Dega, La vie prodigieuse de Bernard-François Balssa, père d'Honoré de Balzac : Aux sources historiques de La Comédie humaine, Rodez, Subervie, 1998, 665 p. 20 May 179 ...

commissioned by the Society of Men of Letters of France in 1891.

Development

This sculpture was a particular challenge to the artist due to his preference to portray his subjects in great detail, and the fact that Balzac was already dead. Rodin then started to research about the life and times of his subject, only to find, according to Kenneth Clark, that he had been a short, fat and unremarkable-looking man.

Realisation

With this difficulty, Rodin aimed instead to represent Balzac's persona rather than his physical likeness. Instead of the agreed-upon eighteen months, Rodin spent seven years making different studies, both nude and non-nude, only to present his final plaster in 1898 at a

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon (P ...

Champ de Mars The Champ de Mars (; en, Field of Mars) is a large public greenspace in Paris, France, located in the seventh ''arrondissement'', between the Eiffel Tower to the northwest and the École Militaire to the southeast. The park is named after the ...

with great disapproval by the Societè. Disillusioned with this result, Rodin decided to install the plaster at his house in

Meudon Meudon () is a municipality in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is in the département of Hauts-de-Seine. It is located from the center of Paris. The city is known for many historic monuments and some extraordinary trees. One of t ...

. Only in 1939 was a full-size cast put at the crossroads of

boulevard Raspail Boulevard Raspail is a boulevard of Paris, in France. Its orientation is north–south, and joins boulevard Saint-Germain with place Denfert-Rochereau whilst traversing 7th, 6th and 14th arrondissements. The boulevard intersects major roadw ...

and

boulevard du Montparnasse The Boulevard du Montparnasse is a two-way boulevard in Montparnasse, in the 6th, 14th and 15th arrondissements in Paris. Situation The boulevard joins the place Léon Paul Fargue and place Camille Jullian. The Tour Montparnasse and plac ...

, also known as carrefour Vavin, in the

6th arrondissement The 6th arrondissement of Paris (''VIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le sixième''. The arrondissement, called Luxembourg in ...

of Paris.

Three sculptures of Balzac made by Rodin

Description

Unlike other studies and the final version of the monument, ''Balzac in the Robe of a Dominican Monk'' shows the author fully clothed with the traditional

habit A habit (or wont as a humorous and formal term) is a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.

of the

Dominican order The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of Cal ...

—a simple cloak with a belt— standing in a rock-like structure and with both hands explicitly shown.

Evaluation

It is considered by some later critics as one of the best sculptures made by the French artist. Rodin himself has been quoted about this piece, considering that "the fruit and summing-up of my entire life and the pivot of my personal aesthetic".

References

External links