Walking man
(L'homme qui marche. Moyen modele)
(1899-1900); cast (1964)
Medium
bronze
Measurements
84.0 × 59.0 × 26.7 cm
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Gift of Sandra Bardas OAM and David Bardas AO through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program, 2022
Gallery location
19th Century European Paintings Gallery
Level 2, NGV International
About this work
Working at the same time as Impressionist painters who were changing perceptions of art, Auguste Rodin smashed the conventional notions of sculpture. One of his most significant contributions was to present the incomplete human form; naked figures often headless, missing limbs and lacking the traditional levels of refinement as ‘finished’ works of art. In 1900 he showed dozens of dismembered plaster figures, including Walking man, in his first solo exhibition staged in Paris. This concept of legitimising seemingly unfinished works redefined artistic practice in Europe. Rodin’s most recognised and admired work in this reductionist mode is his Walking man, that he adapted from his earlier sculpture John the Baptist. It is one of Rodin’s most physically imposing and powerful works.
Artwork Details
Place/s of Execution
Paris, France
Edition
ed. 11/12
Inscription
cast in top of base c.: A. Rodin
cast in rear of base l.l.: Georges. Rudier. / Founder. Paris.
cast in left side of base l.r: © by musée Rodin 1964.
cast (vertically) in relief on metal plate on base c.: A. Rodin
Accession Number
2022.1298
Department
International Sculpture