New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1918-01-06
Some German
Opinions of
ROdin
I I WILL be remembered that wb.,
Rodin, the celebrated French scnh

WILL be remembered that whs
Rodin, the celebrated French scnh
tor, died, above a month ago, a prs,
dispatch was received from Germany +,
dicating that the Germans claimed to ha,.
annexed him much in the same way asth.,
had already annexed Shakespeare. SIM
that time various critical studies Of Il,
great sculptor by German pens have com,
to hand. The following short extract,
are taken from them:
The "Berliner Tageblatt' saw that then
were three sides to Robins work; he va,
a powerful genius, free from the barrier
Of time and nation; an accomplished Par
sculptor in marble, who aimed at eleganc
and picturesque effects; and at the san.
time he was shrewd manufacturer. VIII
put many young sculptors of talent b
work for himself. The paper finally girs|
this judgment of his work:
much of what the wise master Great,
much that was admired and bought BY nj
public in recent years, after he had beeor
famous throughout the world, is worse TIM
of doubtful merit and will be forgotts
But many-of his works stand alone and vi
therefore endure, equals of the greahs
works of the plastic art; and even when
they have remained uncompleted they ~
incomparably higher than any Others Of lii
time-so especially his Eve and his stud
of John the Baptist Preachingi"
The 'Frankfurter Zeitung" wrote:
"Great Pan is dead! The last great ruiz,
in the realm of nature, the fervent worship
per Of all created life, who, with antqu.
JOY, exalted beauty and sensuous pleasure
yet whose pipe also sounded the most pas
sionatc plant of the creature in bondage
When Bourdelle, Robins pupil, gave Ii.
features of his old master to a statue 4
the nature-god, this was but a case of Dc
symbolism. Nature in art has died VIII
Rodin, a newer time has dethroned it, ok
hands have already been raised to sha.s
his figure as that of an idol
The "Kolnische Zeitung" pronoun,i
Rodin "the strongest and truest artist !
the present day" and continued:
ale constitutes an exception to the d
piorable rule that an artist must die in ord
that his life-worA may get its merted a.
praisement. France and foreign countries
Germany not among the least-crowned BIZ
with laures; and an extensive circle of Q.
mirers spoke of him only in the Language
rhapsody. Rodin, however, was not the ma
to lose himself in dreams of the ideal, an
in doing so to forget the commonplace ar
the laws of success in this evil world +
possessed, along with all his fire as an arti;
a shrewd and cool understanding Of practic
life"
The paper praised Robins wonderfI
knowledge of the human body, both I
rest and in the freest movement. Final
after naming over a dozen of the greats
French sculptors of the past century, Ii
writer concluded:
personal tastes may prefer the one or Il
other of these, but no one of them esta
llshed the international reputation of Rodr
No Que has been to such an extent the sui
Ject Of controversy, and about none has bee
spoken and written 50 much bombastic 81
fantastic nonsense as about Rodin. he
VIII future generations rate him in compsr
son with the greatest German sculptor
Hlldebrand and klinger?"