Auguste Rodin's extraordinary watercolors are generally less familiar to the public than his grandiose bronzes which set standards for later generations of sculptors. Yet these studies, executed with apparent ease, are no less significant as works of art--indeed, their enthusiastic naturalism and openness make them almost more timeless and modern than his sculptures. In addition to preliminary watercolor studies for his 3-dimensional works, this section of Rodin's oeuvre includes a large number of erotic silhouettes, some of them quite explicit: cheerful, warm-hearted sketches with which the artist unabashedly papered the walls of his studio. This small volume presents a delightful selection of rarely-exhibited yet enchanting watercolors from the artist's estate, administered by the Musée Rodin in Paris.

This exceptional publication includes nearly 200 works, the majority of which come from the Musée Rodin in Paris. Well-produced and meticulously documented, the catalogue entries are further illuminated by scores of photographs of Rodin's celebrated sculptures (including such masterworks as the "Balzac" -- in Steichen's celebrated photograph -- the headless "Striding Man", and the disturbingly powerful "Gates of Hell") of the sculptor himself throughout his career, and many of the important personalities with whom he was intimate, such as Rainer Maria Rilke, and Count Harry Kessler. Of special interest are comparative photographs of the actual structures that accompany the famous drawings of the French cathedrals. The catalogue entries of impeccable scholarship are here interwoven with the illustrations to create a stimulating biography of a master sculptor and an unique human being. -- From publisher's description.