The Martyr
Artist: Auguste Rodin
Year Composed: 1885
Artistic Movement: Impressionism
Nationality: France
Floor Found in Château: Second Garden
Year Composed: 1885
Artistic Movement: Impressionism
Nationality: France
Floor Found in Château: Second Garden
About the Artwork
Shown as a female figure lying on the ground, Auguste Rodin's The Martyr depicts the contorted, lifeless body of the woman. Similar to The Kiss (1882), Rodin's The Martyr was once a part of his Gates of Hell. Because the figure shows no wounds, it is argued that she either died from something internal or she is alive but in a complete ecstatic state, similar to Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (1647-1652). Rodin removed it from his Gates of Hell because she did not represent a figure within the story of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy; the figure is more independent than other figures that adorn the gates.
About the Artist
François Auguste René Rodin, better known as Auguste Rodin, is known as one of the most famous French sculptors of all time. Most of his works contain themes of mythology, allegory, and nature, highlighting the human figure and body. The emotional appeal and contorting drama meshes the intricacy of Neoclassical sculptures with the drama and emotion of the Baroque. Rodin is one of the few sculptors known outside of the art world with modern society, especially with his sculptures that include The Shade (1881), The Kiss (1882), The Thinker (1880), and The Burghers of Calais (1889).
About the Movement
The Martyr was composed in the Impressionist Age of art. Impressionism was characterized by extremely loose brushstrokes that were visible throughout the entire painting. This 19th-Century (or 1800s) art movement took landscapes, figures, and objects and incorporated both movement and emotion. Impressionism, in a matter of style, was almost the blending between Cubism and Baroque art; that dramatic and emotional appeal of the Baroque mixed with the inclusion of motion and the passing of time of Cubism. Some of the most famous Impressionist artists included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Edgar Degas.
Location of Original Work of Art: Rodin Museum, Paris, France
Shown as a female figure lying on the ground, Auguste Rodin's The Martyr depicts the contorted, lifeless body of the woman. Similar to The Kiss (1882), Rodin's The Martyr was once a part of his Gates of Hell. Because the figure shows no wounds, it is argued that she either died from something internal or she is alive but in a complete ecstatic state, similar to Gian Lorenzo Bernini's Ecstasy of Saint Teresa (1647-1652). Rodin removed it from his Gates of Hell because she did not represent a figure within the story of Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy; the figure is more independent than other figures that adorn the gates.
About the Artist
François Auguste René Rodin, better known as Auguste Rodin, is known as one of the most famous French sculptors of all time. Most of his works contain themes of mythology, allegory, and nature, highlighting the human figure and body. The emotional appeal and contorting drama meshes the intricacy of Neoclassical sculptures with the drama and emotion of the Baroque. Rodin is one of the few sculptors known outside of the art world with modern society, especially with his sculptures that include The Shade (1881), The Kiss (1882), The Thinker (1880), and The Burghers of Calais (1889).
About the Movement
The Martyr was composed in the Impressionist Age of art. Impressionism was characterized by extremely loose brushstrokes that were visible throughout the entire painting. This 19th-Century (or 1800s) art movement took landscapes, figures, and objects and incorporated both movement and emotion. Impressionism, in a matter of style, was almost the blending between Cubism and Baroque art; that dramatic and emotional appeal of the Baroque mixed with the inclusion of motion and the passing of time of Cubism. Some of the most famous Impressionist artists included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Edgar Degas.
Location of Original Work of Art: Rodin Museum, Paris, France