Victor Hugo (three-quarter view)
Medium
Drypoint on laid paper; second state of eight
Dimensions
Image: 7 5/8 x 5 7/16 in. (19.4 x 13.8 cm) Plate: 8 7/8 x 6 15/16 in. (22.5 x 17.6 cm) Sheet: 11 1/4 x 8 1/2 in. (28.5 x 21.6 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Rogers Fund, 1916
Accession Number
16.37.2
Tags
Art Historical Context
In 1885, master sculptor Auguste Rodin turned his hand to printmaking to capture the commanding presence of Victor Hugo,'s literary titan behind *Les Misérables* andThe Hunchback of Notre-Dame*. This drypoint portrait, showing Hugo in a three-quarter view reveals the poet's intense gaze and tousled hair, rendered with Rodin's characteristic vigor. Produced during Hugo's later years—after his triumphant return from political exile— the work immortalizes a cultural icon whose Romantic writings championed liberty and social justice. Drypoint, an intimate intaglio technique, allowed Rodin to scra...
About the Artist
Auguste Rodin|Victor Hugo · 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...