''Fugitive Love'' is a sculpture by
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 ...
made between 1886–1887, both sculpted in
marble and cast in
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 ...
. It represents a man and a
woman embracing each other on top of a rock. More specifically, the author was inspired by the story of
Francesca da Rimini
Francesca da Rimini or Francesca da Polenta (died between 1283 and 1286) was a medieval noblewoman of Ravenna, who was murdered by her husband, Giovanni Malatesta, upon his discovery of her affair with his brother, Paolo Malatesta. She was a co ...
's love affair with
Paolo Malatesta
Paolo Malatesta (; – 1285), also known as il Bello ('the Beautiful'), was the third son of Malatesta da Verucchio, lord of Rimini. He is best known for the story of his affair with Francesca da Polenta, portrayed by Dante in a famous episode ...
, an allusion to
Dante Alighieri's depiction of
lust on the second circle of Hell in his ''
Inferno''.
Gates of hell
The sculpture is also part of Rodin's monumental group ''
The Gates of Hell'', where it can be found in the right gate. Even though the group was already recognized on its own, Rodin decided to put it in his ''Gates'' partly to replace another iconic sculpture: ''
The Kiss'' which had been removed due to its theme being inconsistent with the rest of the group.
[Rodin deemed ''The Kiss'' too idyllic and romantic to be depicted in the middle of repentant souls. He decided to take it away from ''The Gates'' but was decided to work on it separately.] The sculpture shows a man trying to hold a woman who is trying to escape, whose posture is reminiscent of water or air. This is the "fugitive love".
''Fugitive Love'' appeared in the
Georges Petit
Georges Petit (11 March 1856 – 12 May 1920) was a French art dealer, a key figure in the Paris art world and an important promoter and cultivator of Impressionist artists.
Early career
Petit was the son of François Petit, who founded the f ...
gallery in 1887. There, it was discovered and appreciated by art critic Gustave Geffroy, who wrote: "the group presents the impatient and fierce race of a woman who carries at her back, as if chained, her victim, an inanimate and rigid man. The woman's back sinks, the man's torso flattens, his legs dangle and an arabesque of limbs is drawn".
The sculpture was exhibited again at the Georges Petit gallery in 1889, along with the exhibition of impressionist artist
Claude Monet. It was so acclaimed that it was reproduced both in white marble and bronze.
Like other sculptures by Rodin, ''Fugitive Love'' is made from joining together other pieces and studies. The man is reminiscent of ''The prodigal son'' and was inspired by Rodin's studies for ''Head of Sorrow'' (also known as ''Joan of Arc''), while its tragic face comes from ''
Paolo and Francesca
Francesca da Rimini or Francesca da Polenta (died between 1283 and 1286) was a medieval noblewoman of Ravenna, who was murdered by her husband, Giovanni Malatesta, upon his discovery of her affair with his brother, Paolo Malatesta. She was a co ...
''.
See also
*
List of sculptures by Auguste Rodin
Notes
References
External links
{{Auguste Rodin
Sculptures by Auguste Rodin
19th-century sculptures
Nude sculptures
category:Sculptures of the Museo Soumaya
category:Sculptures of the Musée Rodin
Marble sculptures
Bronze sculptures