Study of a nude female figure (Satyress)
1905–8
Medium
Graphite and watercolor on paper
Dimensions
Sheet: 9 13/16 x 12 3/4 in. (25 x 32.4 cm)
Classification
Drawings
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Georgia O'Keeffe, 1965
Accession Number
65.261.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
Auguste Rodin's *Study of a Nude Female Figure (Sress)*, created between 1905 and 1908, captures the sculptor's late-career fascination with the human form in a delicate graphite and watercolor drawing on paper. Measuring just under 10 by 13 inches, this intimate sheet exemplifies Rodin's shift toward more fluid, expressive sketches after decades of monumental bronze sculptures like *The Thinker* and *The Gates of Hell*. As a master of Realism with Impressionist influences, Rodin often used drawings not just as preparatory studies but as standalone explorations of anatomy, movement, and emotio...
About the Artist
Auguste Rodin · 1840–1917
François Auguste René Rodin (1840-1917) stands as the founder of modern sculpture, transforming the art form from academic tradition into expressive modernism. Born into a working-class Parisian family, Rodin faced early rejection, failing three times to gain admission to the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. This setback forced him to work as a craftsman for nearly two decades, though his 1875 tr...