Wissant and Crouching Venus

This is a composition featuring the Wissant and Crouching Venus from Rodin. Early in his career, Rodin worked in a number of decorative art studios, producing objects for serial production. He learnt how to get the most out of a single model, casting multiple copies and reworking each one. He applied these lessons to his own studio work. He dismantled and reassembled existing sculptures in endless combinations. By casting different parts of figures separately, he could alter the overall composition without having to remake the whole sculpture. Each fragment could exist both individually and as part of a greater whole. The Head of a Slavic Woman, for example, found its way into many other sculptures, taking on new meaning and significance each time it was used. The same figure could be repurposed in different orientations. Arched Female Nude was flipped and rotated into various positions by Rodin. With each turn, the physicality of the body was altered, from propelling forward to falling downwards.