Abstract:The sculptures of Auguste Rodin have gained worldwide recognition and are amongst the most
beloved artworks in our times. This worldwide adoration has added to the cult or genius surrounding
the art...The sculptures of Auguste Rodin have gained worldwide recognition and are amongst the most
beloved artworks in our times. This worldwide adoration has added to the cult or genius surrounding
the artist, which has reached deep into popular understanding of his works. This thesis will try to lift
the myth of genius from Rodin’s works and see how his work has been valorised over the years. The
underlying idea is that is has less to do with his genius, but more with the wide dissemination of his
work that Rodin has reached such fame. The main research question that has shaped this thesis, is the
following: how has the reproducible nature of sculpture affected the valuation of originality and
authenticity in the work of Auguste Rodin? In order to answer this question, this thesis has taken on
the analytical narrative approach, which made the modelling of historical processes possible. The
sources that have been used to write this analytical narrative are both primary sources and secondary
literature. The thesis is divided into four chapters that each represent a moment of dissonance. It is
believed that in these situations, when something new enters the market, that it becomes clear what is
valued in society and what is not. For this thesis, the innovation that caused the dissonance, was
always a new development in the reproduction process of Rodin’s work. Through an extensive
research in historical sources, this thesis made clear that the relation between reproducibility and the
valuation of art is highly complex. Whereas one would expect that reproductions would easily be cast
aside as commodities, this thesis has shown that in the case of Rodin, the reproductions at times even
underlined the singular state of his work, building up to the cult of his artistic genius. This effect was
created through clever framing and institutionalizing of his multiples. It was only at the end, when this
thesis reached contemporary times, that we could localize a shift in the meaning of the Rodin
reproductions. This was caused by the pure market-oriented purpose of these multiples. This practice
also influenced the valuation of Rodin himself, who has changed from an artist into a popular icon.Read More
Publication Year: 2020
Publication Date: 2020-07-06
Language: en
Type: article
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