Art

Rodin, Auguste, 1840-1917Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

3.8

Word count: 211K words
Chapters: 22

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Art by Auguste RodinAuthor: Rodin, Auguste, 1840-1917,Language: English, Class: N: Fine Arts, Release Date: Jun 24, 2019

Editor's review

This book is a written work on art by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin, prepared as an electronic edition by Project Gutenberg. Rodin is famous as a sculptor, and his view of art emphasizes nature, truth, and observation of life; in the text one sees his thinking on artistic creation, tradition, and innovation. For readers who want to understand Rodin's artistic thought, the aesthetics of sculpture, and the French art context from the nineteenth to the early twentieth century, this is a direct statement from the artist himself. It can be read alongside Rodin's sculptures to understand how his ideas were translated into form and texture. Since the original is in English and was written in a specific historical context, some statements bear the mark of their time; reading with art-historical background is advised, so as to appreciate the insights while maintaining independent judgment.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in Rodin's artistic thought and the aesthetics of sculpture
Students and researchers of art history and art theory
Creators who wish to understand creative concepts through the artist's own words
Readers with some English reading ability interested in Western art classics

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic art history textbook or detailed catalogue of works
Those who only want to look at pictures of Rodin's sculptures and do not wish to read text
Beginners completely unfamiliar with the Western art context and unwilling to look things up

Reading tips

First learn the basic forms of Rodin's representative works, then read the text to cross-check.
Excerpt the passages on nature and truth, and reflect on them in light of your own creative or exhibition-viewing experience.
Read alongside materials on nineteenth-century French art history to understand the period background of his views.
Read slowly chapter by chapter, reviewing Rodin's works after each part to test whether your understanding is concrete.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book Rodin talking about his own sculptural creation?

According to the information, this is a written work by Rodin on art, centered on artistic ideas and possibly touching on creation and aesthetics. The specific chapters and scope should be based on the actual content of the e-book; browsing the table of contents before reading is advised.

Does reading this book require a foundation in art history?

Some foundation in art history makes it easier to understand the period context and the concepts referred to. It can be read without one, but it is advisable to look up relevant art movements and the background of Rodin's works so as not to understand the discussion apart from its historical context.

Is the electronic edition suitable for research citation?

The Project Gutenberg edition is a public-domain electronic text suitable for general reading and study. For academic citation, it is advisable to verify edition information and page numbers, and to check against an authoritative print edition or scholarly critical edition to ensure accuracy.

Comments

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About the author

Rodin, Auguste, 1840-1917 Author

Auguste Rodin (Rodin, Auguste, 1840-1917) was a French sculptor and a figure of lasting influence in the history of modern Western sculpture. The library holds two of his works, Art and Venus. To the Venus of Melos; the former discusses art in general, while the latter takes the Venus de Milo as its subject. Judging from the available material, his writing grows out of sculptural practice and addresses form, movement, and the classical tradition in a concise, contemplative tone rather than as conventional art history. Because the library's information on his life, nationality, and honors is limited, and public sources are insufficient, no further details are supplied here. Through these two works readers may see how a sculptor examines art and classical beauty in words, and how that perspective has informed later writing on art.