Walking Man. Musee d' Orsay, Paris. 17 Oct. 2012. Illustration from Gardner’s Art through the Ages.

Dear Editor,

My name is François-­‐Auguste-­‐René Rodin and I’m the creator of the 1907 sculpture Walking Man. I’m writing this letter in response to the critic that stated that my work was crude and unimpressive -­‐ a waste of time and metal. In this letter I will be going over a few things that will disprove all that this critic has said. I will go over the sculpture, describing it as if it was your first time looking at it, why I chose bronze and how it is not a waste, why I chose this subject and its characteristics and in the process hopefully change anyone’s mind about their perception of this particular piece. For all the work that I do exudes life, nature and truth. The art critic at the Paris Times has failed to understand this sculpture. The Walking Man focuses on the sensation of motion. The motion that this headless and armless 6 foot 11 ¾ inch high bronze sculpture depicts is what I prefer, than that from normal fixed academic poses. I wanted to show a natural action taken from real life. When I created this beauty of nature, I used some features from a previous sculpture of mine called Saint John the Baptist in which I did in 1878. The only parts used from this previous work were the torso and legs. As for the head and arms that are missing, I didn’t want to distract the focus of this piece, it’s motion, this is probably why the art critic thought of this sculpture as crude and unimpressive. From every angle that you look at the Walking Man you can clearly feel that this sculpture is going somewhere. You don’t need to see its swaying arms or the expression of the model’s face. You can feel it in the strength of its legs and forward leaning torso that swivels ever so slightly to the left.

I must say that I was extremely discontent with the term that was used -­‐ a waste of time and metal. I have been using bronze since The Age of Bronze, which I did in 1877. This is something that I am familiar with. This lengthy process includes; an initial clay model, then a plaster "waste" mold that is thrown away, a plaster cast, a plaster "piece" mold, a wax cast for easy removal, a "shell" mold, and finally a bronze cast. While assembling the final pieces, I like to leave some of the seam marks as I feel this gives character and is somewhat of a trademark. In some instances polishing is not done either. Even though the process is lengthy, it gives me opportunities to feel the influence of nature and have it show me changes to the sculpture prior to the bronze cast. Nature speaks to me and following it is essential for a work of value.

I’m not sure of the extensive background of the art critic that commented on the Walking Man sculpture but let me say that this piece has many characteristics of period style that is of the 19th century. The first that can be seen is a characteristic of dynamic or restlessness. As I mentioned in the beginning of my letter, this sculpture focuses on motion. This can be seen in the muscles of the man’s legs to show that this man is moving as well as the texture throughout the sculpture. The sculpture speaks through the imperfections that are carried throughout its body. This was purposely done, I wanted to make the viewer look closely at the details and see that there is not only movement in the action of the man but in the texture that encompasses the sculpture. There is smoothness in the bulging muscles of the legs such as the hamstrings, the quadriceps, calves and shins. There are rugged and uneven moments such as the buttocks, back, hips, arm area and neck. The constant changes from smooth to rugged are constantly changing and the movement is visual throughout. I’m not sure what sculpture this critic may have been looking at but these characteristics can definitely be seen in the Walking Man. This sculpture in my opinion appealed to many at the reveal. One reason why would be the fact that it was a raw and unfinished sculpture, it was natural. Trust me, if I had wished to modify what I saw and make it more beautiful, I should have produced nothing good (Rodin). I want people to see and feel what I feel from nature and it beauty. Another thing I believe people will appeal to is the man’s physique. I believe that his physical features reveal an individual’s character (Hale). The art critic stated that the sculpture was crude but nature shows us the truth that even though this sculpture having no arms or head is full of life. Life is shown in the physique of the man. The man is a healthy individual as seen in its torso and legs. This sculpture depicts movement and therefore is alive.

Sincerely, Auguste Rodin Paris, France

Works Cited "Auguste Rodin." Auguste Rodin. (n.d.) Web. 17 Oct. 2012 Hale, William Harlan and the Editors of Time-­‐Life Books. The World of Rodin: 1840-­‐ 1917. Virginia: Time-­‐Life Books, 1978. Print

"Musee Rodin." Musee Rodin. (n.d.) Web. 17 Oct. 2012.

Rodin, Auguste. Rodin on Art and Artists: Conversations with Paul Gsell. Dover, 1983. Print.