Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The sculpture of Auguste Rodin has become an enduring part of our visual culture and his work has greatly influenced sculptural art since the turn of the century. Its universal appeal springs from its expressiveness, its vitality and its passionate mirroring of the human condition.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Published to accompany an exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, this book surrounds Rodin's work with sculptural examples of both his predecessors and followers. The introductory essay as well as the lengthy and informative entries on each of the works under discussion contextualizes the oeuvre of this most famous and influential sculptor. Each sculpture is discussed extensively with documentation on its creation. Profusely illustrated with many of the sculptures depicted from a number of angles, this catalog will serve as an admirable adjunct to other Rodin studies (e.g., Ruth Butler's Rodin, LJ 8/93). Recommended for larger art collections.-Martin R. Kalfatovic, Smithsonian Institution Libs., Washington, D.C. (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

Literature on Rodin is wide and deep. This book contributes to that literature primarily as documentation of a major collection of French 19th-century sculpture at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. The text is simply and effectively organized into the chapters "The Nineteenth Century before Rodin," "The Sculpture of Auguste Rodin," and "Rodin's Contemporaries and Successors." The chapter on Rodin is built around pieces relating to his three major commissions--The Gates of Hell, The Burghers of Calais, and the Monument to Balzac. Levkoff (associate curator of European painting and sculpture, Los Angeles County Museum of Art), a specialist in French Renaissance art, characterizes the text as an introduction, but she supplements it with intelligent recommendations about sources of additional information. Demonstrating a thorough knowledge of the literature on Rodin, Levkoff writes with clarity and authority as she weaves, with a narrative-like continuity, comments about individual pieces and 19th-century French art in general. Heavily illustrated with 153 figures, including 41 color illustrations. Uniformly excellent photographs are done with an artistic flair that makes the most of the works' romantic and impressionist elements. An accessible introduction to the work of the artist relative to his times, the book should be acquired by all academic libraries with an interest in modern art. Undergraduate; graduate; faculty. J. A. Day; University of South Dakota