Details

Title

Half Length Figure of a Woman (The Martyr)

Artist/Maker

Auguste Rodin (French, 1840–1917)

Date

conceived ca. 1910; cast 1966

Medium

Bronze

Dimensions

31 x 27 x 17 inches

Credit

Gift of the Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation

Accession #

2009.36

Location

Currently not on view

Half Length Figure of a Woman is a compelling example of Rodin’s experimentation with the human figure. In 1910 Rodin photographed this sculpture, but he had removed its head, neck, and shoulder. He had also placed a large wedge underneath the figure’s thighs, effectively arching the torso backward. Although Rodin eventually reattached a head to the sculpture, it is clear that he used this work to explore the dynamics of the human body almost to the point of abstraction.

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