Rodin and eroticism

“How can I describe this flesh that captivates me so much?” Auguste Rodin
asked himself this very question all throughout his life and career. In his
sculptures as well as in his drawings, Rodin modeled or traced the outlines of
what fascinated him: the human body. He explored endless variations of
postures and stances, not so much to spark controversy but rather to apprehend
the truth of desire. The shapes and forms he created testify to the sensuality
and the intensity of his oeuvre. He carried to the extreme these two features
in order to capture the manifestations of ecstasy, and sometimes the shadow of
death. Rodin never refrained from tackling subjects that were traditionally
deemed obscene. In doing so, the sculptor pushed the boundaries of
transgression, claiming a sense of modernity that proved to be seminal for
generations of artists.