Auguste Rodin
1900
Medium
etching and drypoint on wove paper
Dimensions
image: 23.3 x 16.5 cm (9 3/16 x 6 1/2 in.) plate: 27.2 x 20.2 cm (10 11/16 x 7 15/16 in.) sheet: 42.4 x 30.9 cm (16 11/16 x 12 3/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Bell
Accession Number
1994.4.11
Art Historical Context
In 1900, French artist Albert Besnard created striking etching and drypoint portrait of contemporary, the renowned sculptor Rodin. Besnard, celebrated for his paintings and murals infused with Symbolist influences, captured Rodin at the height of fame, just as works like *The Thinker and *The Gates of Hell* were revolution sculpture. This intimate print offers a glimpse into artistic camaraderie of fin-deècle Paris, where innovators like Rodin challenged classical traditions with raw emotion and form. The medium—etch and drypoint on wove paper—highlights Besnard's mastery of printmaking. Etch...
About the Artist
Albert Besnard
Paul-Albert Besnard, known as Albert Besnard, was born on June 2, 1849, in Paris to an artistic family: his father, Louis Adolphe Ferdinand Besnard, was a history painter and pupil of Ingres, while his mother, Marie Louise Pauline Vaillant, was a noted miniaturist trained under Lizinska de Mirbel. Precociously talented, he began his training under Jean-François Brémond before entering the École de...