{"product_id":"leternel-printemps-by-auguste-rodin","title":"L'Éternel Printemps by Auguste Rodin","description":"Auguste Rodin\u003cbr\u003e 1840-1917 | French \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003cem\u003eL'Éternel Printemps\u003cbr\u003e (The Eternal Spring)\u003c\/em\u003e \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Bronze with brown patina\u003cbr\u003e Signed \"Rodin\" (on base), with Barbedienne foundry mark \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Perhaps one of the most well-known and celebrated sculptures of his oeuvre, Auguste Rodin's passionate bronze \u003cem\u003eL'Éternel Printemps\u003c\/em\u003e is the embodiment of this artist's rare genius. Conceived in 1884, the bronze is regarded as one of the masterpieces of his mature output, conveying a sensuality and aura of passionate love from every angle. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This work was conceived at the height of Rodin's career in 1884, during an intense period of work on his pivotal \u003cem\u003eGates of Hell\u003c\/em\u003e commission. It tells the age-old narrative of forbidden love, depicting the affair of Francesca da Rimini and Paolo Malatesta, who famously appear in Dante's \u003cem\u003eInferno\u003c\/em\u003e for their transgression. Highlighting the lovers' bliss rather than their ultimate punishment, Rodin felt the bronze was too joyful and removed it from his \u003cem\u003eGates of Hell\u003c\/em\u003e. Instead, he executed it as a stand-alone sculpture that would become one of his most acclaimed and beloved works. \u003cem\u003eThe Kiss\u003c\/em\u003e, another masterpiece by the sculptor, shares a similar origin and subject, though \u003cem\u003eL'Éternel Printemps\u003c\/em\u003e is more dynamic in its pose. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Rodin's technical mastery was unmatched in his day, and by the turn of the century, he was regarded as the best sculptor since Michelangelo. His composition is dynamic from every angle, utilizing negative space in the arch of the woman's back and her lover's outstretched arm to create movement and feeling. Like many of his major works, Rodin looked back to one of his previous models in order to develop his amorous lovers. The female figure is based on his sensuous \u003cem\u003eTorso of Adèle\u003c\/em\u003e (Musée Rodin, Paris), which appears in the upper left-hand corner of the tympanum of his \u003cem\u003eGates of Hell\u003c\/em\u003e. \u003cem\u003eL'Éternel Printemps\u003c\/em\u003e is also believed to resemble Camille Claudel, a sculptor with whom Rodin began a passionate affair after she joined his studio in 1882. The autobiographical element of Rodin's own forbidden love perhaps accounts for the work's intimacy and intensity. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e After its successful showing at the \u003cem\u003eSalon\u003c\/em\u003e of 1897, Rodin awarded the casting of this bronze to the Barbedienne foundry in 1898. This sculpture is from the founder's second reduction, meaning it is the second largest of four versions they produced. It was also importantly cast during Rodin's lifetime and thus under his supervision, between 1905-1910. Other versions of this bronze can be found in museums worldwide, including the Musée Rodin (Paris), the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York), the Museum of Fine Arts (Boston) and others. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Auguste Rodin is counted among the greatest artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, along with names such as van Gogh, Monet and Renoir. In the history of sculpture, he occupies a place even more important than his painterly contemporaries, for he alone revived the art of sculpture, returning it to prominence among mainstream art. During the mid-1870s, after two decades of struggling as an artist, Rodin visited Italy and studied the works of Michelangelo, who inspired his first major work, \u003cem\u003eThe Bronze Age\u003c\/em\u003e. Exhibited in Brussels in 1877, it was so well received that the State purchased the work in 1880, which led to the commission of Rodin's \u003cem\u003eThe Gates of Hell\u003c\/em\u003e. His works, so naturalistic and expressive in detail, were far removed from conventional, decorative sculpture and ultimately transformed the history of art. Today, he is widely regarded as the father of modern sculpture. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e This important work is accompanied by a letter from the Comité Auguste Rodin confirming it will be included in the forthcoming \u003cem\u003eCatalogue Critique de l’Oeuvre Sculpté d’Auguste Rodin\u003c\/em\u003e by Jérôme Le Blay. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Conceived in 1884; cast between 1905-1910  \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e 20 1\/4\" high x 26\" wide x 13\" deep \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Provenance:\u003cbr\u003e Private Collection, Argentina, acquired in the 1910s\u003cbr\u003e Private Collection, France\u003cbr\u003e M.S. Rau, New Orleans\u003cbr\u003e Private Collection, Texas\u003cbr\u003e M.S. Rau, New Orleans","brand":"M.S. Rau","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51800543920450,"sku":null,"price":1285000.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0982\/5376\/6978\/files\/32-1428_1.png?v=1768068298","url":"https:\/\/www.bullvendors19.com\/es\/products\/leternel-printemps-by-auguste-rodin","provider":"Bull Vendors 19","version":"1.0","type":"link"}