“A work of art is an imitation of things, or the construction of forms, or the expression of experiences, in such a way that it may cause pleasure, excitement, or shock.”
This disjunctive definition is intended to provide an answer to an age-old question: What is art? By combining definitions – in a rather cumbersome tangle, believed Tatarkiewicz, a philosopher and thinker – to encompass the aesthetic phenomenon in all its varieties.
And while many works of art represent different aspects of mental and aesthetic phenomena, few are the perfect fusion of all factors. Several works by Auguste Rodin, the renowned French realist sculptor, are on the short list. The Gates of Hell is the most prominent example.
To sculpt the inferno
I am the threshold of the city of sorrow and wickedness, I am the threshold of eternal doom. I am the threshold of a people without salvation, I am a sanctuary for supreme justice. These are my parents: the hand that governs everything, the lofty idea and the first kindness. I was created in the beginning – before all rust, with endless numbers. I am endless – all come to nothing, leave, leave hope – the Inferno, Song Three (Translation: Ze’ev Jabotinsky).
Although the dimensions and scope of the work exceeded its designer's initial plan; although most of the sculpted figures in the group that makes up the Gates of Hell do not appear in the literary work; it is not difficult to trace Rodin's source of inspiration: Dante's 'Divine Comedy', and in particular - the first part of the book, 'Inferno'.
But how did Hell, a constant object of horror in the mouths of smooth-tongued Christian preachers, become an object of cultural admiration embodied in Rodin's monumental work? This article traces the historical circumstances that led to the creation of this artistic masterpiece. That exciting complex that, as Tatarkiewicz puts it, manages to evoke pleasure, excitement, and shock at the same time. Let's start with history:
The road to the 'Gates of Hell'
The Museum of Decorative Arts was expected to be a national symbol and a center of pride for the 'Ministry of Fine Arts.' The value of the museum, according to its founders, lay precisely in the relative 'inferiority' of applied art. Emphasizing works that did not form an integral part of the cultural canon of the 'fine arts' was considered an effective means of demonstrating the centrality of aesthetics in public and private life in France.
However, in order to add an intellectual touch and avoid the appearance of a 'designer housewares store,' the project leaders chose to design the entrance gate as a visual example and representative of high culture. Auguste Rodin, the sculptor who designed, among other things, the revolutionary 'Bronze Age,' was the man named for the flag.
The choice of Rodin was not accidental; he was considered a representative of modern transformations in the field of sculpture. His realistic and naturalistic works – which were initially considered an obscene deviation from the mainstream; his preoccupation with the glorification of the physical attributes of man – which was at odds with the mythological and allegorical themes discussed in the art of his time; the innovation and audacity that he expressed in his sculptures without a teacher (this despite the fact that he was sensitive and attentive to the criticism directed against him); all of these led the French authorities, who could no longer deny his achievements, to grant him the coveted position.
Inferno as comedy
Recognizing his independent nature, it was decided to grant Rodan the freedom to choose the subject of his work. The choice was not particularly difficult, as is evident from the artist's later descriptions. The latter had always appreciated Italian culture. A two-month visit to the 'Land of the Boot' (in 1875) left its mark on his mind. The works of Donatello, the father of modern sculpture, shaped his aesthetic assumptions. He said of Michelangelo that "he was the one who freed me from academic sculpture." But more than any other cultural figure, it was Dante Alighieri, the Italian philosopher, who stirred the spirit of the gifted sculptor.
Philosopher, thinker, poet, writer, statesman and theologian, are just some of the titles Dante Alighieri boasts. And yet, for most members of Western culture, if you said Dante – you said ‘The Divine Comedy’. The magnum opus of the writer, some would also say of Italian culture as a whole. And similarly, with a dash of daring, if you said ‘The Divine Comedy’ – you said ‘The Inferno’. The first part of the sublime work.
Hell – for what?
The tradition of sculpting decorated entrance gates has existed for many years. Starting with the doors of the Basilica of Santa Sabina from the fourth century AD, through the Church of St. Michael in Hildesheim and many other religious buildings. The novelty of Rodin's work was the lack of connection to religious motifs - a result of the fact that, unlike the portals that preceded it, the entrance gate to which the Frenchman was entrusted was intended to serve as a passage to a strictly secular museum.
When Rodan decided to take on the task, the mournful lines presented at the beginning of the article stood before his eyes. In particular, he thought of the words “Whoever comes to this – leaves, leaves a friend who has been waiting.”
And here is an example of the Frenchman's radical genius: the motifs he chose were taken directly from Christian artistic movements of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance; the religious allusions were clear and undeniable; the phenomenal work was intended to serve as a winning argument against Rodin's critics, who accused him of lacking the ability to sculpt figures and subjects of great dignity; and yet, there was something different about the work. It would not be unreasonable to say that the gates of hell stood in victorious, stubborn defiance against the gates of religious buildings.
Rodan – a man of the gospel
To understand Rodin's audacity, one must look at the architectural work that was the source of his artistic inspiration. While designing a model of the Gates of Hell had not been attempted before, certainly not on a similar scale, designing portals inspired by the Gates of Heaven was a vision that had been broken before. Above all, the Baptistery of Florence, the stylized baptistery, is considered to have left its mark on the young sculptor - during his stay in Italy.
The Gates of Paradise, the name given to the eastern doors of the Baptistery (designed by Lorenzo Ghiberti), was the model (and antithetical object) for the creation of the Gates of Hell. A symbol of holiness in the face of secularism; a combination of traditional conservatism and intellectual audacity; Auguste Rodin was faced with his greatest opportunity to become a general consensus. He was not going to miss this opportunity.
“They left the choice of subject to my discretion. I decided to choose a subject that would not allow detractors to once again spread fabrications and lies against my art. From the beginning, it was not clear to me what the interpretation I would give to Dante and his writings would look like, but I was happy to define Inferno as a starting point for my work. I have great admiration for the Italian. Dante is not only a visionary, but also a sculptor. His expression is Federica in the best sense of the word. I lived for a whole year with Dante… I painted his eight circles of hell.”
Outlineless art
The lack of concrete interpretation when he approached the execution of the work was no stranger to Roden. He was known for the fact that, unlike other sculptors, foresight and meticulous planning did not guide the stages of his work. His self-confidence was great, as was his belief that a constant striving for perfection, hard work, and a dash of luck would guide his steps on the path to the finished product.
Although he did not have a coherent image before his eyes, the viewer experience he sought to evoke was clear to him from the moment he received the invitation. Visitors walk up a flight of stairs, gaze solemnly at the entrance gate, and are overwhelmed head-on by scenes that evoke excitement and shock, as only Dante could evoke in his readers. The hopelessness of those coming through the gates, the abandonment of hope described by the poet, represented in his eyes the disillusionment of the educated person of his time, who was forced to give up a romantic artistic vision and become acquainted with a naturalism devoid of softness – which results from describing reality as it is – without any frills or frills.
Gateway to nowhere
During the stages of work on the ambitious project, the sculptor stayed at the Hôtel de Biron (in French: Hôtel de Biron), an elegant 18th-century mansion at 77 Rue Varenne (1919th arrondissement). The history of the building is fascinating and includes unusual uses – such as a residence for a successful wig manufacturer, a dance hall, a residence for nuns and a school for girls. Admittedly, our story would be more fruitful if we focused on the role the building served when Auguste, our acquaintance, was overseeing the group of sculptures: a studio for artists, one of these artists – the hero of our story. As a side note: starting in XNUMX (two years after Rodin's death), the place became a museum where the latter's works are immortalized, including a group of parts from 'The Gates of Hell'.
However, the original plan was lost to him over the years. Great works, fate decreed, should stand on their own, not as mere preludes to another structure. If the 'Gates of Hell' were initially considered innovative because they lacked a religious anchor, the work soon became incomparably brave. The project to establish the Museum of Decorative Arts, the one to which the gate was expected to be a magnificent portal at the entrance, sank into mountains of bureaucracy – while Rodin was working on the group of sculptures.
But the demise of the project did not end the sculptural work. Auguste Rodin continued to work on the 'Gates of Hell' – until the end of his days. In his final years, he transferred the work to the government. France Sculptures, drawings, and reproduction and redistribution rights for many of his well-known works. Today, many parts of the gate sculptures and drawings from the stages of their preparation are displayed in the museum named after the great sculptor.
The whole and the sum of its parts
The whole is often greater than the sum of its parts. But rarely do individual parts of a larger whole become so famous and important that they overshadow the whole. Over the years, as Rodin realized that he would not be blessed with the finished work, some of the sculptures became famous in their own right. The Thinking Man is the best-known example, but Ugolino and His Children, one of the most disturbing works of recent times, is also originally taken from The Gates of Hell, inspired by the writings of Dante Alighieri. However, before I expand on the parts of the whole, let us discuss the technical details of the father's work.
The complete work
The technical details cannot be overlooked: The 'Gates of Hell' rise to a height of six meters; they are four meters wide and one meter deep. 180 different figures are included in the work, with Rodin himself sculpting over 200 different figures under the auspices of his enormous work. The size of the figures ranges from 15 centimeters for the smallest sculptures, while the largest sculptures reach three meters! Some of them, as mentioned, were given an 'independent life' and were carved separately from the gates.
Rodin's original plaster model found Musee d'Orsay (in French: Musée d'Orsay) which is in the capital Paris. The story of the building, not surprisingly, is particularly fascinating. The place was intended to be used as a train station. Initially, it fulfilled its original purpose, but since its platforms were too narrow to allow proper traffic, the building was converted to other uses, including a mail sorting house. It was only in 1977 that the decision was made to turn it into a museum. Today, the Musée d'Orsay is used to house works of art French Created between 1848 and 1915, alongside the most famous Impressionist works by Claude Monet, Paul Cézanne, Camus Pissarro, Edgar Degas, Auguste Renoir and others, the original model of the 'Gates of Hell' is housed in the building.
The original plaster, restored in 1917, was used to make the first three bronze casts: these are on display at the Musée Rodin in Paris, the Rodin Museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and finally: at the National Museum of Western Art in Ueno Park, Tokyo. Foundations to commemorate the sculptor's legacy have distributed the work to other cultural centers, the most famous of which are the Kunsthaus Zurich (the largest museum in the peaceful country), Stanford University, Seoul, Korea, and even Mexico City. If you want to witness the stages of work on the ambitious project, you can visit the Hotel Biron, and see, as mentioned, initial drawings and biographical details about Rodin and his work.
The parts of the work
Choosing the most significant sculptures from among 180 figures is no easy task. Nevertheless, there are figures that have become such an integral part of Rodin's legacy that it would be absurd to ignore them in an article of this kind. The choice may stem from subjective considerations and personal interpretation, but I hope that you will find that the selection provides you with an initial perspective for understanding the centrality of the gates for Rodin.
The thinking man
The crown jewel of the collection; the sculpture most closely identified with the artist; what more can be said about 'The Thinking Man' that hasn't already been said? And yet, despite its centrality, many details remain shrouded in mystery.
The Thinker (French: Le Penseur), also known as 'the Poet' (according to one interpretation of the work), is located above the portal panels. The Thinker is presented as a central part of the portals, both because of his position and because of his size. The work is designed as a nude male figure – modeled after the principles of heroic sculpture – and sits on a rock. The man depicted in the figure is seen leaning slightly, his right elbow resting on his left thigh, while supporting the weight of his chin on the back of his right hand. The pose evokes a sense of deep thought and contemplation, and the sculpture is often used as an image to represent philosophy.
The main interpretation sees the statue as a representation of Dante Alighieri, the poet leaning over the figures of his work and looking solemnly at the 'inferno' that lies beneath him. The hypothesis has been widely criticized: the figure's bare body is inconsistent with Dante's description, who is fully clothed throughout his work. In addition, the statue's body structure also does not match Dante Alighieri's presumed appearance.
Another hypothesis holds that the statue represents the ideal image of man, as he looks mournfully at the destruction resulting from his sins. And finally: a fascinating hypothesis attributes an introspective meaning to the figure. According to this assessment, the figure depicts Rodin himself, contemplating his imperfect creation. Is this a logical assessment or an attempt to imbue the work with a symbolic and sophisticated value, clearly unnecessary? The atmosphere of mystery, it must be admitted, must accompany every masterpiece. 'The Thinking Man' is a masterpiece.
The initial figure was cast in 1880 – immediately after the work was commissioned. In any case, it was not until 1904 that the first of the bronze castings was made, inspired by the original sculpture. 27 additional full-size castings (casts in which the figure is about 185 centimeters tall). However, researchers believe that not all of them were made during Rodin's lifetime and under his supervision. There are various other versions, some of which are sculpted in plaster. Various studies of the work continued after the 'death of the author', and castings of various sizes were cast over the years.
Ugolino and his children
“And we will pass; and again the eyes of a couple embraced – like two brothers from the womb, the head of one on the back of the other. And the upper one, like a hungry bite of a piece of bread, scratched and scratched the lower skeleton at the place where the brain and the scapula connect. Indeed, the ancient Thaddeus, full of hatred, devoured the dead skull of his slain” ~The Inferno, Poem Fourteen (Translation: Ze’ev Jabotinsky).
Ugolino della Gerardesca was an aristocrat and politician – born and resident of the Italian city of Pisa, who lived and worked during the 13th century. His life was peaceful; for five years he held administrative positions in the government of his city, before his life took a turn. Ugolino was accused of treason and placed in a dark dungeon, in the Tower of Moda – alongside his sons and grandchildren. The European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms had not yet been drafted, so Ugolino's cruel punishment reflected the primitive culture of his time. The conditions of starvation in which he was held led to the agonizing deaths of the prisoners. Despite the terrible end, death from starvation is not the most shocking part of the legend.
As his children slowly starved to death, they begged their father to eat their flesh after they died. Despite the deep revulsion he felt, Ugolino could not avoid the act, which slightly prolonged his life. In hell, while in the deepest circle of torment, Hela satisfies his lust for revenge – by cruelly abusing his victim. Thus, Ugolino became the symbol of compassionate cannibalism. The oxymoron evokes a sense of discomfort, and Rodin’s representation of the tragedy constitutes the pinnacle of the disturbing aspect of his groundbreaking art.
The importance of the statue lies in its being a source of many insights into the process of working on the gates: drawings show that Rodin initially chose to depict Ugolino standing in a vertical position, while tormenting the man who brought his troubles upon him. The decision to depict him in a horizontal position stems, it seems, from the desire to enhance the animalistic aspect of his act.
Another insight involves the position of the statue in relation to the whole. The choice to place the part of the work on the lower left side of the gate involved the knowledge that part of the statue, Ugolino's fourth child – who is leaning against his right leg – would not be presented to the viewer walking head-on in front of the gate. The insight confirms a significant assumption regarding the work: there is no single 'correct' perspective from which to view the gates of hell. Visual subjectivity illustrates the perceptual subjectivity towards the subject of hell – which is considered controversial even among Christian thinkers, and even more so in the eyes of Rodin.
The Three Shadows
Another significant part of the 'Gates of Hell' is the group of sculptures that has been 'earned' the name 'The Three Shadows' (in French: Les Trois Ombres). The importance of the figures involves a number of visual elements that characterize it, as well as the central position that is intended for it within the overall work.
The nickname refers to three figures with a similar appearance – connected to each other, gathered around a central point and as if gesturing with their hands downward. The heads are tilted at a unique angle that conveys pain and submission to fate. The tilt of the heads and the shoulder line creates a kind of flat horizontal line between the three heads of the figures. It is interesting to note that initially Rodin conducted a series of experiments that included designing each of the figures separately. There is no clear information about the reason that caused him to deviate from his original plan. The prevailing hypothesis is that the union of the figures suggests a 'fateful covenant' of the human race. Doom and hell lurk for all equally, as can be deduced from the sculptor's numerous efforts to give his figures a uniform appearance.
The hands reaching down in the original work pointed to the phrase 'Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate': Abandon all hope, you who enter. A kind of warning will to those who visit the museum's gates, and in a broader sense, to those who come to witness modern art as a whole. Abandon the romantic naivety that characterized the old world. Recognize real reality in all its agonizing misery.
Despair
“Who would give, not even in the rhythm of a song or even in repetition, in all its gravity all the blood and death that I have just seen? Every tongue and every tongue would fail, because our tongue would not contain such a description, nor would the measure of our intellect… If here they showed who was deformed and who was wounded, all this cannot be compared to the stain of disgust that was revealed to me in the ninth swallow” ~The Inferno, Song Twenty-Eight (Translation: Emanuel Olsenberger).
The sculpture 'Despair' or 'Despair at the Gate' (in French: Le Désespoir or Désespoir de la Porte) is not considered the most famous or most studied in the artist's canon of works. Nevertheless, it can be considered a reflective essence of all the sculptures that adorn the 'Gates of Hell'. Rodin worked hard on the sculpting of the figure – from the early 1890s until XNUMX, which indicates the great importance he attached to it.
The statue was intended to be part of a group of grief-stricken and doomed figures who reside in the ninth circle of hell. Other 'Wandering Souls' designed as part of the circle were expected to be shown in similar poses. Many independent variations were developed from the original work, most of which were sculpted in bronze. In others, the artist used plaster, carved marble, and limestone.
In the 80s, Rodin created an initial version of the statue, which was more upright than the version known today.
Her forward-leaning leg stands in an upright, almost vertical position. This version of the figure appears several times in the right-hand part of The Gates of Hell. In 1890, Rodin returned to work on the sculpture. The leaning leg now appeared at a horizontal angle. Both hands gripped the leg in a position that conveys Sisyphean agony and hopeless difficulty.
It is fascinating to note that the sculpture was initially called 'Silhouette Holding Her Leg'. The unusual acrobatic pose does not fit into the description of a distinct figure in Dante or in any other accepted work. A side view reflects the uniqueness of the pose. The triangular outlines represent continuity and suggest a hopeless repetition. Rodin, it is claimed, saw before his eyes a gymnast who was trying to free her suffering body. The dissonance between the source of inspiration and the final product, which represents endless despair, was completed in 1890, when Rodin chose to describe his work as 'Despair'.
Summary
The passage through the gates of hell was expected to be more than a decorative means of entry. The passage, for Rodin, was a rite of passage and a portal to modernism, of which Rodin was considered one of the forerunners in sculpture. The majestic figures, the saints clothed in a halo, the heroic, pompous and pathos-filled sculpture, gives way to a cold and alienated naturalism.
Modern alienation is paradoxical. It is precisely the exposure of reality in its full nakedness, the one that is painfully familiar to us from our personal experiences, that arouses the feeling of alienation and distance. For centuries, the work states, folk tales accompanied by lip service have caused shortsightedness and disregard for the experience of human pain. The pain is tangible. Despair accompanies modern man. This is the necessity of reality – after the shattering of ideological idols and the recognition of the urban, industrial, and gray reality that has begun to take the place of natural space.
Abandoning the vision of establishing the museum could have brought the sculptural project to ruin; instead, the flaw in the plan became the most symbolic point in the project. In an anachronistic sense, it can be argued that the death of the museum represents the death of the transcendent signified. The entrance, the sign that is supposed to hint at content, stands alone, devoid of an anchor. The fulcrum does not exist and the lifting of the world is impossible. Man stands helpless in the face of the inferno.
Is there hope behind the open gates? If you ask Rodin, he will point to the opening lines of his hero. Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'Intrate. If you want illusions, you are all in the hands of Romanticism! Modernity does not offer comfort, but objective honesty. As in many other cases, the sculptor measures his time and serves as a prophet standing at the gate of modernity and gesturing with his hands towards a gate to the unknown. A gate behind which there is nothing, but which we all, sooner or later, are obliged to pass through.