RODIN Auguste, 1840–1917 - Lot 72

RODIN Auguste, 1840–1917 The Kiss Second reduction, also known as reduction no. 4 Bronze group with a nuanced brown patina, F. BARBEDIENNE CASTING ARTIST. On the front of the rock on the right: Rodin. On the bottom of the terrace, the foundry’s mark. Below, the number 23 and the letter K stamped near the base mounting. H: 59.6 cm - W: 36 cm - D: 37 cm Designed in 1886, this version reduced in 1904; this bronze proof cast between 1914 and 1917. A letter of inclusion in the critical catalog of the sculptor’s work by the Auguste Rodin Committee will be provided to the buyer. Condition report available upon request. Provenance: French collection, acquired in the early 1980s. Bibliography: - Antoinette Le Normand-Romain, Rodin et le bronze, catalog of works held at the Rodin Museum, vol. I, Rodin Museum, Paris, 2007, similar model described and reproduced on p. 162. - Rainer Crone, Siegfried Salzmann, Rodin, Eros and Creativity, Prestel, Munich, 1997, plate 1, pp. 60–61, for a bronze cast. - Monique Laurent, Rodin, Chêne Hachette, 1989; pp. 104–105 for a marble sculpture in the Rodin Museum. - John L. Tancock, The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin: The Collection of the Rodin Museum, Philadelphia, Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1976, for the photograph of the marble version of The Kiss at the 1898 Salon, p. 77. The Kiss is a group originally conceived by Rodin to appear on The Gates of Hell, commissioned by the French government in 1880. Completed in 1886, this iconic work, inspired by Dante’s Divine Comedy, depicts the couple Paolo and Francesca at the moment they discover their love. The Kiss was not selected for The Gates of Hell because of the sense of happiness it conveys, which did not align with the tragic theme of The Gates. However, a more tormented version of this group can be found on the left pilaster of the gate. Preserved by Rodin as a standalone group, the plaster cast was exhibited in 1887, and The Kiss was later presented in a marble version at the 1898 Salon, the same year that the scandalous Balzac was unveiled. The success of The Kiss was immediate, and the work’s universal appeal led to the removal of the literary reference in the original title. The composition of this group is interesting in that it reveals itself in two stages. At first glance, the work appears fairly frontal and stable when viewed from the front, as it was designed to appear in The Gates of Hell. As the viewer moves, the spiral formed by the bodies draws the eye to seek out the hidden sides of the work. One then discovers a more dynamic composition, punctuated by the diagonals formed by the movements of the two lovers. The reverse side reveals splendid craftsmanship in the powerful rendering of the backs, which evokes Michelangelo, and finally reveals the faces kissing. The posture of the two entwined bodies exudes great tenderness, and the couple, lost in their pleasure, seems isolated from the world around them. This work, created after the more impassioned groups such as The Eternal Spring and I Am Beautiful, conveys an impression of maturity and calm from which a manifest strength emerges. With The Kiss, Auguste Rodin created an iconic work, a sensitive evocation of romantic passion. "When a good sculptor models human bodies, he represents not only the musculature, but also the life that warms them." Auguste Rodin, Art, 1911