Study of Nude for Balzac F.

Dateca. 1896

Label TextIn 1891, the French Society of Authors commissioned Rodin to create a monument to the writer Honoré de Balzac. Rodin developed his ideas by making realistic nude studies, which he then simplified and exaggerated before arriving at the final unorthodox form of a figure with a large head, disheveled hair, and a bizarre backwards-leaning pose. In this late study, Rodin draws a parallel between Balzac’s literary powers and surging sexual energy. Before his death in 1917, Rodin authorized the posthumous casting of his works to preserve his legacy. The Musée Rodin in Paris oversaw this work, employing the Georges Rudier Foundry in Paris.

Object number89.181

Exhibition HistorySeattle, Washington, Henry Art Gallery, Modern Masters and the Figure, Sept. 16 - Nov. 28, 1993 Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, Five Installations on the Fourth Floor: Aspects of Late-Nineteenth-Century Art, June 26, 1997 Seattle, Washington, Seattle Art Museum, French Painting from SAM's Permanent Collection, Apr. 23, 2005 - Jan. 2, 2006

Credit LineGift of Richard and Elizabeth Hedreen in memory of Anthony Callison and the Modern Art Purchase Fund

Dimensions36 x 15 x 12 1/4 in. (91.44 x 38.1 x 31.12 cm)

MediumBronze with black patina