The Temptation of Saint Anthony at The Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon

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On a man huddled on the ground, wrapped in a heavy robe, a nude woman stretches herself out sensually. His face against the earth, the monk desperately clutches the cross to escape this fleshly temptation. According to tradition, St. Anthony, who lived alone in the desert, was tormented by visions of alluring women. This episode from the hermit's life is merely a pretext for Rodin. To appreciate the full impact of the psychological and physical tension of the composition, it must be viewed from every angle. The sculptor plays with the opposition between the closed and tortured body of the saint and the nude body of the woman, voluptuously twisting and open. Almost completely hidden within his coarse garments, the holy man's head is covered by a hood. The folds of his clothing convey the tension in his body. His features, pressed against the cross, reveal his internal struggle. The woman is a radiant body without a soul. The various ways the marble is sculpted recall the different stages of creation and reinforce this antagonism. On the nearly finished, still rough base, Rodin has indicated the coarseness of the woolen cloth - and of the figure - with chisel marks. Only for the woman's body does Rodin use a polished marble finish capturing light and soft curves.