Rough Textures Unite Masters Michelangelo & Rodin

The Louvre Museum is currently hosting "Michelangelo and Rodin: Living Bodies," an exhibition that draws striking parallels between two titans of sculpture. Running until July 20, the show displays over 200 works, demonstrating how Michelangelo and Rodin, separated by four centuries, both imbued their static forms with a palpable sense of life and emotion.

Co-curator Marc Bormand notes that the goal was to showcase the "thinking body," not just anatomy, conveying emotion and sensation through every part of the sculpture. Michelangelo's famous "per via di levare" method and Rodin's later embrace of a similar "non finito" aesthetic, inspired by his 1876 Italian journey, are central themes.

Rodin, deeply admiring Michelangelo, aimed to replicate the raw, unfinished quality seen in works like Michelangelo's "Slaves." While Michelangelo carved from stone, Rodin achieved similar textures using clay and wax, then casting in plaster and bronze. This rough, unpolished quality became a signature for both artists, reflecting the vital force of life.

The exhibition includes key works like Rodin's "Hand of God" and Michelangelo's "Rebellious Slave" and "Dying Slave." Due to the difficulty of transporting Michelangelo's major works, reproductions are used, alongside drawings and smaller pieces that illuminate their shared artistic vision.