H. de Roos - The critique of the toronto exhibition |
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THE ROLE OF ACCIDENTS AND DAMAGE IN RODINīS WORK (1) Another reason the complaints about the damaged Maclaren plasters contain a good portion of hypocrisy ist that Rodin himself accepted accidents as part of the course of events shaping his work. This fitted his romantic view of life and art. A little anecdote: (Rodin) loved richly colored, eventful patinas, even
valuing the dropping of the birds which perched on his sculptures when
displayed out of doors. When Rodin and Paul Gsell saw a cast of the
Thinker (..) which was destined for America left out on the open air,
Rodin remarked: "The rain water brings out the parts in relief by
oxydizing them, while the dust and dirt, lodging in the hollows,
accentuate the depth... It is not only due to the familiarities of the
birds that bronzes and marbles left in the open air gain their rich
patinas." So if Rodin would allow the rain, the dust, the dirt and even natural guano to contribute to the appearance of his brand new Thinker statue, what is so scandalous then about the traces of piece mould and other residues of the casting process on these foundry plasters? Patricia Sanders indicates, Rodin appreciated the lively surface of bronze casts caused by such traces: Most sculptors in Rodinīs day demanded that such flaws
(like flanges left by seeping bronze) be removed to the point that the
bronze surface was perfectly smooth, but Rodin preferred to leave
evidences of the casting process, such as traces of piece mold, realizing
the greater liveliness of surface that this effected. When this goes for the bronzes, why should it not go for the plasters?
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