Rodin and Otterness: Revealing Form through closed sculpture
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document in english
arts and art history
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published 19/06/2008
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SummaryIf one were to elongate the neck, legs and arms of August Rodin’s “Thinker,” the result would look something like Tom Otterness’s “The Crying Giant.” But it is precisely this aspect of the sculpture that makes the “Crying Giant” a less effective closed sculpture. The limbs and large body areas are not used to block off the other views, leaving the work’s form more open and easier to guess at. Whether the artist chose the symmetrical posture of his work first or the elongated limbs first, the piece as a whole does not reward a close inspection by the viewer from many angles because the sculpture’s structure can be grasped from a distance. Rodin however, textures the Thinker with twisted muscles, curved toes and other small details to give a realistic sense of a human body’s effort to balance itself. The muscular body uses its thick limbs and broad torso to close off each view from the other. Rodin’s “The Thinker” is a more effective closed sculpture because it uses large structural elements as well as fine details to create a variegated experience that reveals new details from each viewing angle, but the “Crying Giant” sacrifices this experience for a geometric simplicity which makes the closed posture of its subject less effective and enjoyable.
Table of Contents
- The Giant in Otterness's sculpture.
- At the bottom the Thinker's feet are dug firmly into his stoop.
- Examination of the sides completes an inspection of 'The Thinker.?
- An examination of 'The Thinker' from every side will reveal new and exciting details.
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