Rodin: The Human Experience at the Portland Art Museum

I don't remember what year it was, but when I was attending University of Oregon (1991 - 1992 and 1995 - 1996) at one point the school's art museum (conveniently near the history building and the library) had a Rodin exhibit. I fell in love with The Kiss, and liked many of the works in general, but thought the bust of Balzac was horribly ugly.

As it was, being a Romance Languages major led to me having a Balzac/Stendhal class (French) at around the same time we were learning to talk about art in a Spanish conversation class. In addition to visiting the museum on our own, we were going to each pick one piece of art and then visit as a class and talk about our selected pieces.

While reading Balzac I had seen at least one picture that did not seem to resemble the bust at all, so I brought in a picture and we gathered round the bust and talked about that. As my classmates gave their impression of the piece, they described a personality that sounded very much like all accounts of Balzac. I realized Rodin knew what he was doing.

I have a fondness for the piece now, so was happy to see it at the Portland Art Museum as part of their exhibit Rodin: The Human Experience. I learned a lot more.

The arrangement of an exhibit and the descriptions that are chosen can detract or enhance. This exhibit was done very well.

One of the points they made was how the cavernous depths of the holes Rodin uses for eyes add to the expression. I agree. They said it, but also they had the art displayed in a manner where you can readily see it. The bright lights were helpful here. I remember the Jordan Schnitzer museum as pretty dim. It set a quiet mood, but it is only now that I realize how that can downplay important details.

I had never seen the Fallen Caryatids before. They are emotionally moving on their own, but a little bit of explanatory text made me think more. They have sunk down, not tipped over. They are fallen but they are still carrying their burdens, at least partially. Maybe that means more to me now. They are beautiful.

They put the best context on The Burghers of Calais that I have seen, but part of that was separating them so you could get a sense of the individuals.

I liked this bust because the soft features and delicate braids are a reminder that even if Rodin often chose to make things blunt and overstated - maybe even grotesque - he did not have to.

Sadly, what we do not have is great pictures of any of them. If you notice a weird angle or centering on anything, it's probably because I was trying to crop out people. All part of the human experience.

And altogether it is a reminder that no matter how wonderful art is on its own (art for art's sake), my enjoyment has been greatly improved through teachers, language, friends, and thoughtfully designed exhibits.

https://portlandartmuseum.org/exhibitions/rodin-the-human-experience/

http://jsma.uoregon.edu/