Invocation, first modeled ca. 1900, this cast 1986
Bronze
Auguste Rodin
French, 1840-1917
During the Paris World’s Fair of 1900, Rodin mounted an enormous solo exhibition in a pavilion specially built for the occasion. Among the works on display were several small sculptures including Invocation. As with many of Rodin’s works, the figure’s pose is not elegant or traditional, rather it is expressive and contorted, and changes based on the viewing angle. When seen from the left side, the model raises her arms overhead to at rest. From the front, she appears preparing to stand, her left arm shielding her face. When viewed from behind, the emphasis is on the negative space between her arms, which forms a heart and the triangular tunnels created between her legs.
Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, AC1992.111.1
Visual Description: This is a bronze sculpture of a nude woman sitting on a craggy rock. The piece is almost two feet tall and is dark green. Her left arm is thrown over her face as she looks upward and her right arm extends out from her body and bent, with her forearm vertical and her hands almost touching. From several angles, the negative space between her arms creates the shape of a heart.
