The Fallen Angel

myminifactory

Rodin scrutinized the human form in extreme physical and emotional states through a multitude of works (for example, 'The Prodigal Son'; museum number A.34-1914). Here, a winged figure lies collapsed on the ground and is supported by a second naked female. The group is believed to evoke the futile flight of our illusions, though the intimacy of the two figures may also reflect Rodin's fascination with the writings of Baudelaire. Rodin isolated single figures from groups to create standalone pieces, or utilized existing individual figures in novel combinations to form new groups. The winged figure here, for instance, is based on the Torso of Adèle, first modeled in the late 1880s as a siren figure for a villa in Nice. It was later reused in The Gates of Hell (the bronze portal and doors for the new Museum of Decorative Arts, Paris, which Rodin was commissioned to design in 1880, where it appears upper left of the tympanum, the rectangular panel immediately above the doors), and as a kneeling figure in Eternal Spring. Rodin's appreciation of the formal aspects of the human body and his ability to create new compositions were inspired by his vast collection of models and plaster casts. He turned them over in his hand, examining their formal properties and contemplating how the different pieces might be combined to create new sculpture. This group has been known as 'The Fall of Icarus', and 'Illusion falls with broken wings, the earth receives him', but is now generally referred to by its current title. Just as Rodin modified the formal elements of his sculpture he also frequently changed their titles equally. (See also 'France', Museum no. A.39-1914). Gallery location: Sculpture, Room 21, The Dorothy and Michael Hintze Galleries, case FSCourtesy of the Victoria and Albert Museum, London