Man with the Broken Nose
Man with the Broken Nose
Published 2020-09-03T14:02:19+00:00
This work, executed circa 1863, has a long history.The original plaster bust froze and the back of the head fell off. Rodin submitted the remaining mask to the Salon of 1865, but without success. The marble, carved by Léon Fourquet, dating from the winter of 1874-75, however, was accepted at the Salon of 1875.
The sitter for the bust, which began as a simple portrait, was an elderly workman from the Saint-Marcel district of Paris,who went by the name of “Bibi”. By emphasizing certain features – the broken nose, the deep lines, the style of the beard – Rodin established a parallel between this face and Michelangelo’s, and thus the individual portrait dissolved into an archetype.
The way in which the bust is cut, its “philosophical” nudity and the classical-style fillet in the hair heighten the impression of a work that is no longer entirely an individual portrait, but one that, by accentuating certain distinctive features, amalgamates general characteristics attributed to the philospher and the artist. In many respects, this early portrait by Rodin epitomizes the sculptor’s working method and, above all, his concept of portraiture.
Date published | 03/09/2020 |
Schwierigkeitsgrad | Medium |
Title | Man with the Broken Nose |
Date | 1874-1875 |
Dimension | H. 56.8 cm ; W. 41.5 cm ; D. 23.9 cm |
Accession | S. 974 |
Period | Impressionist |
Medium | Marble |
Credit | Rodin Donation, 1916 |
Record | http://www.musee-rodin.fr/en/collections/sculptures/man-broken-nose |
Artist | Auguste Rodin |
Place | Musée Rodin |
I always wondered how sculpts would look like if painted. This started when I was told that the sculpts in the metope of Parthenon where painted and what remains today is the decoloured marble after many ages.
Some times I just try to paint, but in other cases, something provocative comes into my mind and I follow a more creative path. In any case, enjoy!
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