Rilke's Study of Rodin's Sculptures and Techniques

Georgia Review
Rilke's Rodin
Author(s): William Gass
Source: The Georgia Review, Vol. 58, No. 1 (SPRING 2004), pp. 9-31
Published by: Georgia Review
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William
Rilke's
Gass
Rodin
can pretendto know precisely.At 3:00 on the Monday afternoon

WE of September1,bearingtheappropriatepetitionsofentry,althoughhe
had arrangedhis visitin advance,the twenty-six-year-old
poet RainerMaria
Rilke appeared on the stoop of AugusteRodin's Paris studio,and was given
an uncustomarygentleand courteousreception.Of course Rilkehad written
Rodin a monthbeforeto warn of his impendingarrival.It was a letterbaited
and
withthesortoffulsomepraiseyou believeonlywhen itis said ofyourself,
itmusthavebeen an additionalpleasureforRodin to be admiredbya stranger
so young,as well as someone witha commissionto writeof the sculptorand
the sculptors workas handsomelyas, in his correspondence,he alreadyhad.
Rilkewas enthusiasmin a shabbysuit,butRodin,who paid littlemindto social
appearancesexceptwhen he was mixingwithpotentialclients,was willingto
s fledglingFrench
set aside some timefora chatwhile suffering
the foreigner
was
that
he
withoutcomplaint.He could not have realized
going to be the
victimofa role reversal,because itwas theartistwho would playthesitterfor
a change.Rilke had arrivedwithan anticipatoryportraitwell advanced, and
his tirelesspen immediatelybegan makingmentalcorrections."It seemed to
me thatI had alwaysknownhim,"he wrotehis wife,Clara, the followingday.
"I was only seeing him again; I found him smaller,and yet more powerful,
more kindly,and more noble. That forehead,the relationshipit bears to his
nose whichridesout ofitlike a ship out ofharbor. . . thatis veryremarkable.
Characterof stone is in that foreheadand that nose. And his mouth has a
speechwhose ringis good, intimate,and fullofyouth.So also is his laugh,that
embarrassedand at the same timejoyfullaugh of a child thathas been given
lovelypresents."1
[9]
10
THE GEORGIA REVIEW
Releasedto explorethestudioand itsholyobjects,Rilkediscovers,almost

immediately,a hand: "Cest une main comme-a" Rodin says, gesturingso
withhis own broad bluntpeasant hands withtheirplasterwhite
impressively
fingersand blackened nails that Rilke fancieshe sees thingsand creatures
growingout of them.In Rilkes steamystateof mind Rodins everyword rises
in the air,so thatwhen he pointsto two entwinedfiguresand says: "cestune
crationa, une cration..." the poet believes,he reportsto Clara, thatthe
word cration"had loosed itself,redeemed itselffromall language . . . was
alone in the world" (Letters
, 78). Everythingsmall has so much bignessin it,
he exclaimsto his page.
Rilketriesto takeeverything
in as iftherewillnotbe a nextday,butthere
is a nextday,and at 9:00 he is on thetrainto Meudon, a twenty-minute
rideto
transformation.
The town clingsto a hillsidefromwhose crestthe Seine can
be seen snakingits way to Paris. He walks up a "steepdirtyvillage street"to
Rodins villa called des Brillantswhichthe sculptorhad boughtin 1895.Rilke
describesthe journey to Clara withthe sort of detail one saves forwonders
of the world: over a bridge- no voil yet- down a road- no voil yet- past
a modest inn- no voil yet- now througha door in thevilla wall thatopens
on a gravelpath lined with chestnuttrees- still no voil- until he rounds
a cornerof the "littlered-yellowhouse and stands"- voil now!- "beforea
miracle- beforea gardenof stoneand plasterfigures."
Rodin had transportedthePavillionde 1,in whichhe had exhibited
his workin Parisin 1900,to thesmallparksurroundinghis house wherethere
were already several studios set aside forcuttingstone and firingclay.The
hall fullof plasterfiguresin ghostly
pavilionwas a heavilyglassed light-filled
confabulation,and italso containedhugeglasscases crammedwithfragments
fromthedesignoftheGates of Hell. "Thereitlies,"Rilkewrites,alreadycomposing his monograph,
onebesidetheother.Figuresthesize
yarduponyard,onlyfragments,
ofmyhandand larger. . . butonlypieces,hardlyone thatis whole:
oftenonlya pieceofarm,a pieceofleg,as theyhappento go along
besideeachother,
andthepieceofbodythatbelongsrightnearthem.
. . . Eachofthesebitsis ofsuchan eminent,
so possible
striking
unity,
so
not
at
all
that
one
itself,
by
needingcompletion,
forgets
theyare
and
often
of
different
bodies
that
to
onlyparts,
parts
cling eachother
so passionately
there(Letters
, 79).
WILLIAM GASS
11
Rilkehad broughta sheafofhispoems whichRodin dutifully

fingeredalthough
he could onlyadmire (as Rilkeimagines)theirpose upon thepage; otherwise
he leftRilketo roam about theplace examiningitstreasures.The poet poured
a bladderfullofenthusiasmas was his
out upon thesefigurinesand fragments
pre-Parishabit("each a feeling,each a bitoflove,devotion,kindness");butthe
face and the sculptors dedicatedworkhabits
city'sunyieldingand indifferent
would teach the poet to see his surroundingsas theywere in themselvesand
not simplyallow his glance to fall like sunshine on surfaceswhere it could
admireits own reflectionand itsglitter.
Then it was lunchtime.And the firstlesson, en plein air. Theysat fiveat
a trestle.No one was introduced.Therewas a tired-looking,
nervous,and distractedladywhom Rilkeassumedwas Madame Rodin.Therewas a Frenchman
notable fora red nose, and "a verysweetlittlegirlof about ten"who sat just
acrossfromhim.Rodin,dressedforthecity,is impatientforhis meal. Madame
replieswitha torrentofapparentgrievance.Rilkebeginsto observe regarde!
regarde!is the new command and sees Madame givingforks,plates,glasses
littlepushes thatdisarraythetableas ifthemeal werealreadyover."The scene
was not painful,onlysad ," he writes.The Master continues to complain as
calmly as a lawyeruntil a ratherdirtyperson arrivesto distributethe food
and insistthatRilkepartakeofdisheshe does not desire.The poet should have
been hungry- he was on his uppers- but he was also finickyto a fault,vegan
ofa sort,a fanciedsignofhis etherealnature.Rodin rattledon agreeably.Rilke
spoke of his art colonydays in Worpswedeand of the paintershe met there,
fewofwhom Rodin had heard of,althoughthatwould not have surprisedthe
poet had he realized thathis acquaintances,his friends,were nobodies. And
as a poet,he was invisiblein thisspace.

Because itwas fullofblazingplastercastsin a pavilionthatgatheredlight
as ifitwerefruit."Myeyesare hurtingme,myhands too,"he wroteto his wife.
Madame Rodin was graciousafterlunch,invitinghimback,as we say,"anytime
littlerealizing,I imagine,thatforRilkethatwould
yourein theneighborhood,"
be tomorrow.
And so ended the second day.
Nothing is more fragilethan adoration, yet Rilkes adulation might have
remained that intense,agreeably decorating a dirtypane like a windows
curtain,had he not sunk into an outcasts life.Poor, alone, he soughtrefuge
fromthe friendlessParis streetsin the Bibliothque Nationale, oftenfrom
12
THE GEORGIA REVIEW
ten to five;or he fledby trainto Meudon and itsshelteringplasters,kinderto

his eye thoughtheyblinded him than thebeggarswho would offerhim their
misfortunesfora franc;while eveningshe passed in the squeeze of his room
writinglettersto his wifeas forlornlybeautifulas lettersget. The poet was,
among otherthings,an inadequatelyeducatedyouthwho would playthepoet
even on those days he wasn'tone, and who soughtto unitehis spiritwiththe
spiritof his poems, so as to live severalfeetabove the ground.Yet the great
sculptorwould eventuallyproveto be a crude,rude clown,a satyrin a smock,
who was losing his strut,caughtin the curvesof femaleconnivanceand flatteryonlyto be led around eventually(in Sir KennethClarks estimation)like
a dancing bear.2So loyaltywould demand thatRilke separatethe man from
his art,a spliteasierfora Solomon to decreethana babe to endure,and an act
at odds withhis inclinations.
Moreover,the fragmentshe so admired in Rodin'sworkshops,alive in
everybriefline thatdefinedthem,wereconfrontedbytheuglyrealitiesofthe
avenues,poor creatureswho everyday looked more like himself.
on dust,on soot,and on thefilth
Theywereliving,livingon nothing,
on theirsurfaces,
on whatfallsfromtheteethofdogs,on anysenselesslybrokenthingthatanyonemightstillbuyforsomeinexplicable
purpose.Oh whatkindofworldis that!Pieces,piecesofpeople,parts
ofanimals,leftovers
ofthingsthathavebeen,and everything
stillagiin an eeriewind,carried
tated,as thoughdrivenabouthelter-skelter
and carrying,
and overtaking
eachotheras theyfall.3
falling
In these lines writtenin Worpswede duringthe followingsummerhe
relived for his formermistress'sbenefithis Paris suffering.Rilke was also
rehearsingwhat would become the magical opening pages of his novel, The
NotebooksofMalte Laurids Brigge.It is worthquoting a bit more in orderto
demonstratethe psychologicallystressfuldifferencebetween the euphoric
celebrationalstyleof the firstRodin monographand itsauthors dailystateof
mind.
Therewereold womenwho setdowna heavybasketon theledgeof
somewall(verylittlewomenwhoseeyesweredrying
up likepuddles),
and whentheywantedto graspit again,out oftheirsleevesshoved
forthslowlyand ceremoniously
a long,rustyhookinsteadofa hand,
and itwentstraight
and surelyout to thehandleofthebasket.And
therewereotherold womenwhowentaboutwiththedrawersofan
WILLIAM GASS
13
old nightstandin theirhands,showingeveryonethattwenty

rusty
pinswererollingaroundinsidewhichtheymustsell.And once of
an eveninglatein thefall,a littleold womanstoodnextto me in the
thatlikeme
lightofa storewindowShestoodverystill,and I thought
shewas busylookingat theobjectsdisplayedand hardlynoticedher.
herproximity
made me uneasy,and I don'tknow
Finally,however,
hands.Very,
I
looked
at
her
clasped,worn-out
peculiarly
why,suddenly
rose
out
of
those
thin
hands,itgrew
pencil
veryslowlyan old,long,
and grew,and ittooka verylongtimeuntilitwas entirely
visible,visI cannotsaywhatproducedsucha terrible
iblein all itswretchedness.
werebeing
inthisscene,butitseemedtomeas ifa wholedestiny
effect
that
was
a
up
working
playedoutbeforeme,a longdestiny,catastrophe
whenthepencilno longergrewand,slightly
tothemoment
frightfully
juttedoutofthelonelinessofthoseemptyhands.I undertrembling,
stoodatlastthatI was supposedto buyit(Letters
, 109,110).
In thenovel,Malte eventuallyrealizeswithhorrorthathe has become an
Accomplice,anothershabbyperson of the street.
When I noticedhow myclotheswerebecomingworseand heavier
fromweekto week,and sawhowtheywereslitin manyplaces,I was
tothelostifsome
andfeltthatI wouldbelongirretrievably
frightened
countedme
half
at
me
and
looked
unconsciously
passer-bymerely
Letters
withthem(
, 111).
Perhaps,whenyou onlybeg fromthebestfamiliesand thefinestfoundabut whereRilkewas living
tions,you can call yourselfa developmentofficer,
now therewereno banks,no fancyestatesoccupied bysusceptibletitledladies,
just AislesNuits, theHtelDieu , and otherhospicesde la maternit.
The path to Paris had been a circuitousone, the resultof flailingmore
thanplan. AtChristmas,twoyearsbefore,Rilkehad returnedto Pragueto visit
his mother,alwaysa tryingtime forhim,althoughSanta broughthim a new
briefcase,and on his way home he stopped in Breslauto visitan arthistorian,
RichardMuther,whom he hoped mightagree to tutorhim in thisvast field,
sinceRilkewas now consideringa careeras an artcritic.PerhapsMuthermight
help him combine this freshbut desperateinterestwitha tripto Russia that
Rilkewas planning.It would be his second.4Mutherwas presentlythe editor
of some pages on artfora Viennese weeklycalled Zeit, and he suggestedthat
Rilkewritesomethingon Russian artforitspages. Rilkepromptlydid so and
composed anotherarticleafterhe had completedhis trip.
14
THE GEORGIA REVIEW
When theymet again it was at the newlymarriedcouples cottagenear

theartcolonyofWorpswede,outsideBremen.Rilkessecond essaywas about
to appear.Mutherhad justcompleteda monographon Lucas Cranachand sent
a copyahead ofhis arrival.His hostsshowedhim studiosand introducedhim
to paintersas a part of theirmutual cultivation.A fewmonthslater,Muther
would gethis reviewand Rilkereceivethe Rodin commission.In thatregard
he had an edge his youthand inexperiencecould not dull: his wife,Clara, was
herselfa sculptorwho had studiedwiththeMasterand forthatreasontheyhad
initiallyplanned to do thepiece together.Claras previousrelationshipmight
be expectedto make entreeasier.
Rilke was eager to get out of his honeymoonhouse, a cute thatchthat
had lost a good deal of its charm afterClara had given birth.Babies often
allow wivesto feeltheyhave done theirsexual dutyand husbandsto feelthey
have been warned:what the house now holds will hold them.Clara was also
anxious to returnto workand would eventuallyjoin Rilkein his Parispenury
aftershe had dumped littleRuthwithher grandmother.(The wordjoin suggestsmoreintimacythanwas soughtsincetheymaintainedseparatelodgings.)
The commissionwas urgentbecause thecouples fundswerenearlyexhausted,
and, althoughClara insistedon payingher own way,Rilkessourcesofcharity
were dryingup.
Rilkewas learningon therun.He had no scholarlyskills.Confrontedby
a mass ofmaterials,he tendedto freeze."Insteadoftakingnoteson a textwith
concentrationand efficiency,
he was forevertemptedto copytheentirebook."5
Thereweremanythingsabout his subjecthe would have known,fortheywere
in the air as well as the newspapersor came fromClaras recollections.But
some of the thingshe thoughthe knew were wrongand some of the things
Rodin revealed about himselfweren'ttrue:thathe had married"parce qu'il
faut avoir unefemme,"6forinstance,since he would not marryRose Beuret,
thewoman he had livedwith- unlicensed- from1864,when she had become
his model and his mistress,untiltheirapproachingdeathsmade such legalities
mattersof concern. (Rose died in October of 1917,he in November,less than
a monthlater.)
Rodin had been born a profligateand it had apparentlyalways been
necessaryto have a woman ... or two.Waitingto pose, nude or nearly,a pair
of models mightlounge around the studio.When theydid, theyoftenhad to
assume and maintainathleticallystrenuouseroticpositionsforextendedperi-
WILLIAM GASS
I5
ods while he drew- comfortably

wrapped- in a room Rose keptcool to save
sous and suppressinclinations,althoughoften,nearerhis models and more
discreet,Rodin workedat theDpt des marbresin Paris."Movingconstantly
aroundhim as he workedwereseveralnude models. He watchedthemas they
withthe human body,
moved,like Greekgymnasts,establishinga familiarity
and with muscles in movement."7Occasionally he would insisttheycaress
one another.His artisticexcuse forthese practiceswas that throughthem
women were psychologicallylaid bare, not merelytheirthighsand bosoms.
Rilke,predictably,put a feministspin on these images. Speaking of figures
on the Gates of Hell, he says: "Here the woman is no longeran animal who
submitsor is overpowered.She is too awake and animatedbydesire,as ifthey
had both joined forcesto search fortheirsouls."During such timesthatthe
models moved or frozein the midstof a gesturethe artistworkedwithgreat
sheetsof drawingsliterallyflyingfromhis pad to litterthe floor.At a
rapidity,
moreleisurelymoment,he would applya lightwash of color to the graphite.8
Rodin did not conceal his eroticdrawingsfromless candid eyesbut exhibited
them more than once.The Muse Rodin has many thousand such sketches.
libidinousenergy.
Later,Picasso would exhibita similarunremitting
Withoutwarning,the maestrowould disappearforweeks frombeneath
Roses eye.
withone
tobriefencounters
Theseabsencessometimes
corresponded
ofhis modelsor withone oftheinnumerable
societywomen,whose
lover.
Butwhen,toexcuse
as
a
his
aroused
were
by reputation
appetites
door
of
Studio
on
the
a
Rodin
JoftheDptdes
himself,
putup sign
itwas somewhichread:"Thesculptoris in theCathedrals,"
marbres
them.9
timestruehe wasvisiting
FouryearsbeforeRilkesarrival,Rodin had brokenoffan extendedaffair
withCamille Claudel- the giftedsisterof the greatpoet and playwrightPaul
Claudel, and a splendid sculptorherself- with disastrousconsequences for
Camille, who had to be institutionalized,
thoughtherewere doubtlessother
reasons forher paranoid delusions.She and Rosa had passed throughwords
to come to blows, and it is said (by those who say these things)thatCamille
had a habitoflurkingabout thegroundsand thatRosa had once fireda shotin
thedirectionofsome concealingplants.Camilles brother,whose Catholicism
was centralto his work,was not Christianenough to forgivethesculptorsuch
l6
THE GEORGIA REVIEW
a prolongedmisuse of his sister,but in thiscase forgivenessmighthave been

a fault.
As forRodin,he was nearsighted:
he had thebig bulgingeyesof a
lecher.Whenheworkedhehadhisnoserighton themodelandon the
behindwhichlurkeda
clay.Did I sayhisnose?A boars snout,rather,
of
blue
In
all
his
what
pair icy
pupils.
sculpture,
youhaveis hisnose
with
his
and
sometimes
hand,
workingtogether
you catchtheface
from
the
middle
of
the
four
and thethumb.He
emerging
very
fingers
tacklestheblockas a whole.Withhimeverything
is compact,
massive.
Itis doughthatgivesunity.
His limbstendto getin theway.
How different
frommysisterslight,airyhand,thesenseofexcitethe
theintricate
and sensitive
ment, perpetualpresenceofthespirit,
theairinessandplayofinnerlight!10
tendrils,
While Rilkewas in attendance,Rodin took up withGwen, anothersisthis
time of AugustusJohn.She would survivethe experienceto become
ter,
a talentedpainterthoughshe nevermarriedand the littlevillageof Meudon
held her fasther entirelife.11ThroughGwen Johnsletterswe can followthe
progressoftheiraffairand getan idea ofhow manyoftheseamoursmusthave
taken a similarpath, because, if it was a unique romance foreach woman,
it was an establishedroutineforthe artist,who was consequentlyalways in
charge.As girlstheycame to Paris to make arttheircareer;theysoughtwork
as a model in orderto pay theirway; sometimestheywould pose fora painter
who posed forRodin and thatway achievean introduction.In Gwens case, it
was her supplenessthatinitiallyappealed to theMaster,thoughotherwomen
doubtlesshad theirown special qualities.Soon he would be singlingher out,
lending her books, asking her to make copies of certainpassages he would
markforextraction,and then- la coup de coeur- requestingto see herwork.
One day,while she was in a halfnaked,knee up, head bowed, prancingpose
forthe Whistlermemorialstatue,the kiss arrived."I can feel,rushingacross
and intoxication,"
she toldhim (Roe, 56). Gwen
mylips,sensationsofmystery
will dream of givingup all forhim (especiallyher career),of becoming his
wife,of takinghis materialtasksin hand and, thoughnot a tidy,enterprising
person,organizinghis life.For thislast task,Rodin would solicitand seduce
RainerMaria Rilke.
In his two monographs,Rilke will touch on such mattersso discreetly
not even he will avow his knowledgeof them;but the contradictionbetween
WILLIAM GASS
17
Rodins lifeof quarrelsomeness,deceit,and sensual indulgenceand his conbetweenthe studios dustyphysicalsumingartisticdedication;the difference
ityand its apparentproduct abundantbeautyand grace arisingout of clay,
marbles serene cool glistenlike lightin a waterglass, loftyideals caught in
castsofplaster- thesemilitantcontrastsgoverneveryline ofthepoets essays,
where Rilke enlistsawe to ward offconsternation,just as theycontrolevery
surfaceofthe artistssculptures,includingtheversionofthe Balzac memorial
thatdepictsthe novelistwithan erection.AfterGeorge BernardShaw sat for
his bust by Rodin, he wrotethat"The most picturesquedetail of his method
was his takinga big draughtof waterinto his mouth and spittingit onto the
clayto keep it constantlypliable.Absorbedin his work,he did not alwaysaim
well and soaked myclothes."12
On RilkesnextvisitRodin held class. Aftera lunchwhichresembledthe
but menu,theysat on a bench thathad a fineview of Paris
firstin everything
whileRodin spoke ofhis workand itsprinciples.Rilkehas to runafterRodins
rapidFrenchas thoughfora departingbus. The sculptors workis manual like
thatof a carpenteror mason and produces an object unlikethe memos of an
officemanager;consequently,to the young,the callinghas lost its attraction.
"
but"ilfaut travailler
; rienque travailler
Theydont careto gettheirhands dirty,
he likesto repeat.In fact,Rodin did littleifany carving(or weldingeither,of
course),althoughitis said thathe likedto greetpeople at thedoor head to toe
withdust and fistinga chisel. His bronzes were cast, his marblescarved,by
workershe rarelysaw.13Henri Leboss enlargedthe sculptorsplastermodels
Rodin complainsthatthe
to thedimensionsproperfora public monument.14
schools teach "thekids nowadays"to compose- to emphasizecontourrather
thanto model and shape surfaces."Ce nestpas laformede Ibbject, mais: le model. . . "15 Rodins hands werehis principaltools,and withthemhe plopped
lines
and punchedand gougedand smoothed,makingbothcurvesand straight
from
blocks
to
torsos
and
into
torsos
flow
to
shoulders
emerge
wavy,allowing
(even when theyhadn't),encouragingelbows to establishtheirown identity,
his fingerseverywherebusyat fosteringtheimpressionoflife,givingstrength
and will to plaster,etherealityand spiritto stone.
Not to everybody'staste.Rodins hopes forhis workwere revolutionary
and, at first,fewsharedthem.Loversof the antique saw in the figureof Aphroditethe embodimentof Love. She was a god of mythologyand therefore
neverexisted,so she could onlybe regardedas ideal. Her thighswereto be as
smoothas a peeled stick,thoughfleshierand amplycurved.Since,like Ham-
l8
THE GEORGIA REVIEW
let or Jesusforthatmatter,no one knewwhatLove looked like,her formand

all her emblemseventuallyachieved a genericstatus(Jesusis tall,blond, and
thin); but this stereotypewas neverof a particular,an instanceof whichyou
mightmeeton thestreet,insteaditsentirebeingwas devotedto theserviceof
the universal.For fanciersof Christianfigures,however,Mark and the other
Testamentteachers,while remainingwithinthe typethathad been cast for
theideals ofthereligionas well as figuresin Christian
them,and representing
were
nevertheless
to be depicted as actual persons. Jesusmay have
history,
been a scapegoat,but he must not be so idealized he becomes nothingbut
sacrifice.Anotherexample:manysopranos mustbe able to playLa Bohmes
Mimi; ifone of themcannot make Mimi s emaciatedweight,thencast,crew,
and customerswill pretendtheyare watchingthe role sing ratherthan the
occupantofit.Rodins departuresfromthesenormswerefeltbeforetheywere
formulated.Where would we locate the walk of The WalkingMani In walking itself?In thissortof strideamong many?In the habitualgaitof someone
Thisamazing
exercising?And particularlyduringhis morningconstitutional?
is
the
of
a
kind
of
muscular
in whichthe
movement
figure
expression
specific
determinationofthewalkers will,evenwithoutthewalker,is evidentin them.
Theselegswalkbythemselves.Acrossmeadows. Down streets.Throughwalls.
The batteredtorsois the handle of theirfork.
TheWalking
Man as finally
exhibited
is theantithesis
ofthenineteenth
foritlackstheoldvaluesofidentity,
assertive
statue,
century
ego,moral
of
and
communicated,
messagerhetorically
completeness parts offinMorethananyotherofRodinsworks,thissculpture
ish,and stability.
overwhelms
theviewerbythepowerofmovement.
... No sculptor
beforeRodinhadmadesucha basic,simpleeventas walking
theexclusivefocusofhisartand raiseditto thelevelofhighdrama.16
As Rodins styledeveloped so did the complaints.TheAge ofBronzewas
feltto be so lifelikethatit musthave been made froma body cast. The WalkingMan convictedthe sculptorof dismemberment.TheMan withtheBroken
Nose, The CrouchingWoman, and The Old Courtesanwere attacksupon their
subjects,deliberatelydisgusting,or perverseattemptsto make theuglyattractive. The Kiss was too sexy or too pretty,and The Thinkerbanal- or worse,
a schoolboy bathroomjoke. The Gates of Hell had ended up an expensive
themonumentdidn't
hodgepodge. TheBurghersofCalais weretoo sorrowful,
them
as
his
depict
behavingbravelyenough;although model,TheCall toArms,
WILLIAM GASS
I9
proposedto commemoratetheFranco-Prussianwar,was so vehementitfailed

consideration.The greatdrapedBalzac dirit look likeBalzac, whilethenaked
to thewriter,
his art,and his public.Balzac , in particular,
Balzac was an affront
called foroutrage.
ofhavingdepictedhissubjectas a penguin,
He was accusedvariously
a colossalfetusanda
a phantom,
a snowman,
a sackofcoal,a menhir,
criticisms
included
the
larva.
Other
chargethatBalzachad
shapeless
beenreducedto theroleofan actorin a gigantic
Guignol,thathe had
or
that
confront
a
creditor,
exposingthepublic
justgottenoutofbedto
distortion
was
andphysical
tosuchmaladroit
handlingofproportions
a
live
bomb.17
of
to
the
equivalent
dangers
As lateas 1932,R. H. Wilenskiwould claim,in his TheMeaningofModern
that"Rodins interestwhenhe modeled theBalzac was concentrated
Sculpture,
in the head. Remove the head and we have nothingbut a shapeless mess."
Wilenskiprovidesan illustrationin whichhe has done the decapitation.18
Itwas claimedthatRodins impressionistic
stylewas bettersuitedto painting than to sculpture,althoughthe impressionistsweren'tinitiallyapproved
of either;moreover,he appeared to disobeythe modernistrule thatthework
should reflectthenatureofitsmaterialsand manufacture,
yetin whatbut clay
would his kind of modulationsoccur,or his minglingof limbs be easy? This
much was true: Rodins aim was to transformhis materialsinto something
ontologicallyalive afterall had not God made mud into man?
Elie Faure enlistshis eloquence, honed througha thousandpages of his
HistoryofArt,to registerRodins errors.
- too often,
theunhappy
becomecontorted,
alas!- thegestures
Often
idea of goingbeyondplasticsand of runningaftersymbolscreates
thevolumesfly
aredisjointed;
figures
groupsin whichtheembracing
areimpossible,
theattitudes
outoftheirorbit,
and,inthewholeliterary
meltslikewaxinthefire.Evenin
oftheworkman
theenergy
disorder,
whoseburning
hisbestdays,he livesand worksbybriefparoxysms,
himin flashes.19
sensationrunsthrough
A good manyofthemisapprehensionsthatRilkesaysconstituteRodins
fame were fomentedby social scandals, as I have tried to suggest,and the
sculptors name continuedto collectscurrilousrumorsfortheremainderofhis
life;butat thesame timehis renowndrewto him manywho werealso famous,
all bringingwiththemtheirown bountyof slander,gossip,and glorification.
20
THE GEORGIA REVIEW
Isadora Duncan claimsthatshe wantsto have childrenofgeniusbyhim,

and Loie Fullerwould love to wind multicoloredribbonsroundherbodywhile
he drawsher.20Eleanora Duse willrecitepoetryat theHtel Biron,and Wanda
Landowska play Bach upon a harpsichordtruckedin forthe occasion. Meanwhile the pressenjoyspublishinglampoons ofvarious kinds,and caricatures
by Sem and Belon amuse theirpublics. In one Rodin is depictedpullingthe
arms and legs offa femalefigure.I thinkwe are to imagineshe is not alive at
thetime.Anothershowsa gardenofdisembodiedheads and embracingbodies
called "TerrainRodin."21
The Meudon days begin to pass. Rilke reads Rodins press clippingsin
the villas littlepark and enjoys the gardens postcardviews, or he walks up
the village slopes to a thickwood where he can brood in a solitude freeof
Paris insistentpresence or Rodins impalpable one. Among his wishes: that
he could take the forestsloftyfreshair back withhim to the citywhere the
heat is oppressive,the atmosphereodiferous,stale,and heavy.He presseshis
faceagainstthefenceoftheLuxembourggardenslikeone in jail, and even the
flowersin theirbeds feelconstrainedto be there.
On September11Rilke does somethingso transparentit almost ceases
to be devious. He writesRodin a letter.Like a lover,he explainsthathis poor
Frenchmakes it difficult
forhim to expresshimselfas he would like,and the
carewithwhichhe prepareshis questionsmakethemseem contrivedand inappropriatefortheoccasion; so he is sendingon a fewversesin Frenchwiththe
hope thattheywillbringthetwo ofthema littlecloser.Aftersome customary
fulsomeness,Rilkeconfessesthat"It was not onlyto do a studythatI came to
be withyou,- itwas to ask you: how mustone live?"The answerweVe heard:
ilfaut travailler.However,Rilke says he has alwayswaited forthe beckon of
themuse,waitedforwhathe calls thecreativehour,waitedforinspiration.He
has triedto formhabitsof diligencebut now he knows he musttryagain,try
and succeed. Sadly
lastyearwe had ratherseriousfinancial
and theyhaven'tyet
worries,
beenremoved:
butI thinknowthatdiligent
workcandisarmeventhe
anxietiesofpoverty.
Mywifehas to leaveourlittlechild,and yetshe
thinksmorecalmlyand impartially
ofthatnecessity
sinceI wroteher
whatyousaid:"Travailetpatience
."I am veryhappythatshewillbe
nearyou,nearyourgreatwork
I wantto see ifI can finda livingin someformherein Paris,- (I
needonlya littleforthat).Ifitis possible,I shallstay.Anditwouldbe
WILLIAM GASS
21
ifI cannotsucceed,I begyouto

a greathappinessforme.Otherwise,
me
wife
as
helpmy
youhelped byyourworkandbyyourwordandby
all theeternalforcesofwhichyouaretheMaster.22
The verses in French Rilke wrote for Rodin have a German brother,
because on the same day,doubtless afterthe same strollthroughthe same
park,he also penned one of the two betterknown autumnpoems fromThe
Book ofHours. His stateof mind could not be betterrepresented.
Autumn
Theleavesarefalling,
fallingfromfaraway,
as thougha distantgardendiedaboveus;
theyfall,fallwithdenialin theirwave.
thenightthehardearthfalls
Andthrough
thanthestarsin solitude.
farther
We all arefalling.
Here,thishandfalls.
Its in us all.
Andsee- theregoesanother.
One whosegently
Andyetthere's
holdinghands
falland neverland.
letthisfalling
Despitehis misery,his anxiety,Rilkeis greedilygatheringmaterial.These
monthswillbe among his richest.Incidentsofno apparentmomentwill crystallizeand coalesce. Here is one. At the end of September,he writesto Clara:
Rodinhas a tinyplastercast,a tiger(antique),in hisstudio. . . which
. . . AndfromthislittleplastercastI sawwhathe
hevaluesveryhighly.
is andwhatlinkshimtoit.There,inthisanimal,
means,whatantiquity
thislittlething(itis nohigher
inthemodeling,
isthesamelivelyfeeling
thanmyhandis wide,and no longerthanmyhand)has hundredsof
thousandsof sideslikea verybig object,hundredsof thousandsof
Andthatin plaster!
and different.
sideswhichareall alive,animated,
to
And withthistheexpressionof theprowlingstrideis intensified
at
and
broad
of
the
thehighestdegree,thepowerful
paws,
planting
that
is
all
in
which
the same time,thatcaution
strength wrapped,
noiselessness 23
The pantherRilkewill studyin theJardindes Plantesbegan to finditswords,I
thebars
suspect,as a tinyplastertigerwitha prowlingstrideand broad paws,
22
THE GEORGIA REVIEW
of his cage wereborrowedfromthe LuxembourgGardens,and his gaze from

the poets own, as well as his sense of desperation.The abbreviatedsonnet,J.
B. Leishman suggests,was the earliestof the famousDinge or "thing"poems
whose naturehas been ascribedto Rilkes Rodin experience.24
ThePanther
His gazehas grownso wornfromthepassing
ofthebarsthatitseesnothinganymore.
Thereseemtobe a thousandbarsbeforehim
andbeyondthatthousandnothingoftheworld.
Thesupplemotionofhispanthersstride,
as he padsthrough
a tightening
circle,
is likethedanceofstrength
arounda point
on whichan equalwillstandsstupefied.
is an openingin theeyes
Onlyrarely
enabled.Thenan imagebrims
whichslidesthequiettensionofthelimbs
untiltheheart,whereinitdies.
Rodins surfacesare thereto suggesta realitythatcan onlybe inferred,
just as fingersor a face,bygestureor expression,disclose a consciousnessthat
would otherwisebe indiscernible.Sculpturesare things:theystartas stuff,
stufftakenfromstufflike rockor clay,and theystaystuffuntilthe artistgives
thema determinateformso that,throughthatform,theymay have life.The
poets problemis preciselytheopposite.Language is our most importantsign
ofelevatedawareness,butlanguagehas weak presence.Thoughoftenon paper,
it possesses no weight.A poem is like a ghostseekingsubstantiality,
a soul in
search of a body more appealing than the bare bones mereversesrattle.It is
consequentlynot the messagein a bottlethatRilkepreviouslythoughtitwas,
nor a youngmans feelingsraised like a flag.All of us have emotionsurgently
seekingrelease,and manyof us have opinions we thinkwould do the world
some good; howeverthepoet mustalso be a maker,as theGreeksmaintained,
and,likethesculptor,likeeveryotherartist,shouldaim at addingrealbeingsto
theworld,beingsfullyrealized,notjustthingsliketoolsand haberdasherythat
naturehas neglectedto provide,or memos and laws thatsocietyproduces in
abundance,but dingan sich, as humans oftenfailto be, things-in-themselves.
WILLIAM GASS
23
In a strangeway,Rilkesnew Rodin-inducedresolvewill unitethepoets most

primitiveimpulse- in thiscase, animism- withhis most sophisticatedinclination- artas an end, artthatstandsapartfromnatureand in oppositionto
it since naturedoes not and cannot produce it.
If we look at She Who Was Once theHelmet-MakersWife(sometimes
called The Old Courtesan), we shall have to pass throughseveral necessary
shiftsin pointofview.The woman Rodin depictsis old,bent,clingingto a rock
as iftheriveroflifewereabout to sweep heraway,skinnyand scarred,all bone
and tendon,her dugs pendulous, shrunken,and flat,her bellybunchylike a
wrinkledbag; whereasonce, we are asked to believe,herskinwas smooth,her
body lithe,strong,bearingbreaststhatwere perfectbowls and boastinghair
thatfellacrossherback likelines ofmusic;butthebody'sbeauty,thesculpture
unoriginallysays,comes to this:the conditionof the prune,a figureformed
and age, alive onlyto wonderwhy.
fromsuffering
Facile feelingsof pityand regretare available fromthis site as stamps
froma post office,
yetwhatis piercingabout thepiece is itsbeauty,a beautythat
we could sentimentalizebythinking,fora moment,thateven decrepitwhores
in thiswonderfulworld are lovely,when,of course,theyare not,abuse takes
itstoll,hard living,too, and the body is our firstgrave.It is thebronze thatis
glorious;itis thebronzethatremindsus thatage and dying,deathitself,has its
its own value and measuresof success.
own life,its own stagesof fulfillment,
Baudelaire'spoem, "A Carrion,"forwhichRodin and Rilkesharedan admiraRochester'sdustthat
tion,is ofthe same genreas Villon'ssnows ofyesteryear,
has closed Helens eyes,and Yorick'sdug-up skullwhose chaps are now quite
fallen.It begins:
Remember
now,myLove,whatpiteousthing
We sawon a summersgraciousday:
Bytheroadsidea hideouscarrion,quivering
On a cleanbed ofpebblyclay,
Herlegsflexedin theairlikea courtesan,
venomously,
Burningand sweating
Calmlyexposeditsbelly,ironicandwan,
Clamorouswithfoulecstasy.
Rilke's animism is poetical, of course, but is also, in its way, religious, for it requires respect for all things equal to the respect we tend
24
THE GEORGIA REVIEW
to show now for only a few,since we prize so littleeven in the thingswe

prize. It gives value, as Rodin did, to every part of our anatomy,to each
muscle movement- stretch,twitch,and fidget;our physical features- a
silk soft ear lobe, tawny limb, or crooked finger;or facial expressionsgrimace,smile,or howl; as well as theveryclaywe come from(at least in his
workshop)- wood block,slab,and plasterpot. Moreover,it endows even the
accidentalencounterof different
parts- myhand on yourshoulder- withits
own dignityas a legitimatestate of affairs.Gestures,expressions,postures,
moods, thoughts,sudden urges merelychange more rapidlythan habits,
attitudes,convictions,dispositionsdo, and can be slowed by stoneto suitour
scrutinythroughouta homemade eternity.
Thefliesswarmedon theputridvulva,then
A blacktumbling
routwouldseethe
in theglen,
Ofmaggots,
thicklikea torrent
Overthoseragsthatlivedand seemedtobreathe.25
It was not simplyin the shop,among thefragments
and thefigures,that
Rilke saw thiswillfulindependenceand fullnessof life.He encounteredit on
thestreetsofParis.Thatthinpencil whichrose slowlyout ofan old crones fist
was alive,as were the rustypins thatran fromside to side in theirproffered
draweras ifto escape youreye when you looked down on them.In the early
morningthewaterfromthewaterwagons"sprangyoungand lightout oftheir
pipes,"thehoofsofthehorsesstruckthestreet"likea hundredhammers,"and
the criesof thevendorsechoed while "thevegetableson theirhandcartswere
stirringlike a littlefield."But his most indelibleencounterwas withthe man
fromSt. Vitus dance whose gyrationsand franticcoping strategies
suffering
he vividlydescribesin a letterto Lou Salom (anotherrehearsalforpassages
thatRilkeincludesin Malte Laurids Brigge).Rilkefollowsthe man forseveral
blocks as the poor fellows shoulderstwitch,his arms flyabout, and his legs
jig.26The mans will is at odds withhis limbs,each ofwhichhas itsown plans,
and all fourwould hop offby themselvesiftheyhad theirway like the fragmentsin Rodins cases.
So the surfacesof Rodin's work,which his studio light makes lively,
implicitlyrelyupon a philosophical principleof greatage and respectability-one thathas been seriouslyentertainedbyGalileo,Hobbes, and Spinoza,
throughFreud up to thepresent.Since the effectin questionis one of animation, it may seem odd thatthe principleinvolvedis that of inertia.A body
WILLIAM GASS
25
at restwill remainat rest- a body in motion will remainin motion- unless

occurs,thestone
somethingelse hectorsor hindersit.When thatinterference
or the ball or the dog at the door will resist;it will attemptto restorethe status quo, striveto save its situation,maintainits equilibrium,preserveits life.
Spinoza called the tendencyto staythe same the objects conatus. It is popuAll thingswould be selflarlythoughtof as the principleof self-preservation.
as windowlessas Leibniz'smonads, iftheycould. The conditionof
sufficient,
the fetusthatis automaticallyfed,protectedfromeveryoutside shock, surroundedbyan embalmingocean, growingas ithas been programmedto grow,
is ideal. We are pushed out intotheworld;we are forcedbycircumstancesboth
insideus (hungerand thirst)and outside(sensationand harm) to cope; and,as
Freud argued,we are repeatedlycompelled to reducethe unsettlingdemands
of our desiresto zero.
A limp thattellsthe world we are compensatingforan injurybecomes
a habit hard to break even when its cause has healed and thereis no longer
any "reason"forit. Except thatthe limp wishes to remain.Our stutterwants
to stay.Our fall froma ladder would be foreverlike a cast-out angel if we
didn'tfetchup in a lake offireor at least on a floor.The fire,moreover,eats its
waythrougheveryfuelits offeredonlybecause it is eagerto stayburninglike
thatbrightgem of quotationfame.As the naked models move about Rodins
studio,he observesthe participatingpartsof theirbodies untilhe can catch,
and
in the middle of an action,the verywill of the gesture,its own integrity
wholeness.The consciousnessthatinhabitsus (and as Rilkelikes to imagine
inhabitseven the so-called least thing) refusesto age. As we all have surely
while each creak,
noticed, only our body gets old, and does so reluctantly,
each ache and pain, comes to stayifit can, as vigorousas a virus,youthfulas
our death will be, buoyantand hopeful.Dying does not want to die. Dying
would make dyinga career.And death has itsown designs.We can call itwar
ifwe like- Hobbes did- we can call it competition,but unitiescreate their
own momentum,complex statesof affairsresistdisenablinginfluence(what
are bureaucratsfor?),and all of the figuresthatmake up a sculpturelike The
BurghersofCalais, each eloquent in its own way,mustfeelthe influenceof so
powerfula composition.The man withSt. Vitus'dance had lost controlofhis
commonwealth.Which is what happens when parts of the body politic no
longerfeelsafeto pursuetheirown plans and thegripofthestatepolice grows
weak. The groupmustensurethe safetyof itsmembersifitwishesto survive.
Otherwiseit will explode or choke itselfto death. Similarly,the elementsof a
26
THE GEORGIA REVIEW
workofartmustforma communitywhichallowseach elementitsown validity

whilepursuingtheinterestofthewhole. A word,ifitcould have had a choice,
mustfeelit would have chosen just the companions it has been given,so that
when it glowswithsatisfactionit also makes itsline shine.
when imaginedalongside
Moreover,the unityof a sculpturalfragment,
a correspondinglysevered limb, insistsupon its own superiority,
forit can
flourishquiteapartfromanybody,whereasbothamputationand amputeeare
damaged possiblybeyond repair.
October was filledwith Rilkes work on the essay,but now Clara had
arrivedin Paris and had her studio in the same apartmentbuilding as his,
accordingto an arrangementhe had finallyworkedout withhis conscience.
Theireconomic circumstancesremaineddire;thecouples dislikeofParis,now
shared, increased; theyendured theirseparate loneliness throughthe gray
citys winter,livingon rootsand water,or so it seemed. The essay at last concluded,Rilkecame down withthefirstofseveralbouts offluand a gloom that
obscured the upper halfof the EiffelTower.By March he was readyto return
to his itinerantways,and fledforItaly,the firstof manynationsin which he
would findrefuge.
It would be threeyears to the month of his firstmeetingwith Rodin
beforeRilkewould returnto Paris and Meudon, thistimeas an invitedguest.
The Masterhad read Rilkes monographbythistime,sinceitnow extolledhim
in French,and he welcomed the poet warmlyas a trustedfriendand fellow
artist.The visitorwas well-housedwitha nice view ofthevalley.Rilkeoffered
to helpwithsome ofRodins overwhelmingpaperworkand was soon hiredon,
as itwere,fulltime.Oftenhe, Rodin, and Rose Beuretwould riseearlyto visit
thecityor enjoyVersailles,and once theydared Chartresin thedead ofwinter
whereterriblewinds,because theywereenviousofsuch grandeur,Rodin said,
tormentedthe towers.27
Rilke seeped into the role of Rodins secretary,a position he wanted
because it cushioned him in Meudon, because he was paid, because thework
was expected to be undemanding;yeta position he did not want because it
confinedhim to Meudon, his Frenchmightbe inadequate,because itput him
below stairsin Rodins servicewhen he had his own fishto hook and fry- the
poet as ambitiousas the sculptor.
Rilkeplanned a lecturetouron behalfofRodin whichwould takehim to
Dresden late in October,but theresponseto his firstappearance disappointed
him because, althoughtherewere "six hundred people,"theywere "not the
WILLIAM GASS
27
rightones."Then in Praguehe twiceperformedfora small crowdofmystified

officialsand sleepyold ladies whom he imaginedwere more concernedwith
thedigestionoftheirdinners.When Rilkeasks,a fewparagraphsintohis text,
"Areyou listening?"is the question entirelyrhetorical?Worsethantheirinattention,his takewasn'tcoveringcosts.In Berlintherewerevisitsand readings
beforehe repeatedhis Rodin lecturea finaltime- on thisoccasion withsome
success.28
Springof 1906 would findhim back in Meudon where his work,fatter
thanhe remembered,sat upon his shoes likea heavydog. In one ofhis poems
he likenedhimselfto a swan out of water,waddlinghis way "throughthings
stillundone."The personalepistlewas an artformat whichRilkeexcelled,but
the businessletterin Frenchwas boring,intractable,foreign,and frustrating.
The poet had become dilatoryand thesculptorimpatient.Moreover,Rilkehad
begun answeringmail withouttakingthe troubleto informRodin of the fact
or thenatureof the exchange,assumingan authorityhe did not have: once to
Baron HeinrichThyssen-Bornemisza,a wealthyGerman patron,once to Sir
William Rothenstein,an importantEnglish art administratorand academic
painter.Upon learningof these presumptions,Rodin firedRilkewitha force
thatexpelled him fromhis cottageand the groundsas well as fromhis secretarialposition.He was soon back in his littleParis room,a spentshell (Freedman, 245).
The poet had recoveredhis perilousfreedom,his personalspace, a space,
one suspects,thatwas verylikethe space he believedRodins figuresrequired,
not only one which allowed you to inspectthem "in the round,"but a space
thatwas theirsbyrightofuniqueness,thatdistinguishedthemsomehow"from
the other things,the ordinarythings,which anyone could grasp."A small
seem large.Rilke,too, requiredsuch room as respect
statuecould, therefore,
conferred,where he mightstand "solitaryand luminous"with"the face of a
whenhe writesabout Rodin'swork,is notsimply
YetRilkesrhetoric,
visionary."
a reflectionof his need to enhance his own importance,it also expressesthe
necessityforanyworkof artto lay claim to the appropriatearena ofitsenjoyment,hence theclose placementofpaintingsin some museumsabove,below,
or beside one anotheron thesame wall or thesqueezing ofa bustintoa corner
or the dumpingof a figureat the end of a narrowhall thatleads to thejohns,
a show
theelevators,or theshops is eithera signofcatastrophicovercrowding,
a
Even
of curatorialcontempt,or evidence of feebleartisticforce.
fragment
should stand in its space like Napoleon, and thereis ample testimonyto the
28
THE GEORGIA REVIEW
imperialeffectofRodins sculptureswhatevertheirsize. In his essaycollection

LeonardosNephew, JamesFentonquotes AristideMaillol- as his talkis recollectedby the ubiquitousCount Kessler:
Whenyouviewa Rodinfromafar,itssmall,verysmall.Butsculpture
forms
partoftheairallaroundit.Rodinhasa Buddhaathisplace,well
infront
ofa circleofsmallshrubs.Well,
placedon a socle,inhisgarden,
itsas bigas that[showing
itverysmall]andyetitsas bigas thesky.Its
immense.Itfillseverything.29
Rilkewas similarlytakenwiththispiece.
Buddha
As ifhe listened.Silence.Depth.
Andwe holdbackourbreath.Yetnothing
yet.
Andhe is star.Andothergreatstarsringhim,
thoughwe cannotsee thatfar.
he is fat.Do we suppose
he'llsee us?He has needofthat?
Sinkin anysupplicating
pose beforehim,
he'llsitdeepand idleas a cat.
Forthatwhichluresus tohisfeet
has circledin himnowa millionyears.
He has forgotten
all we mustendure,
enclosesall we wouldescape.
Rodins Americanbiographer,RuthButler,suggeststhatsome additional
factorswereatworkin Rilkesdismissal.When Rilkereturnedfromhisleisurely
lecturetour,Rodin was ill withwhat was called the grippe.Rose Beuretwas
in a foulmood which didn'timprovehis. So he asked George BernardShaw,
whose busthe had been commissionedto sculpt,ifhe and his wifewould take
thetrainto Meudon to sitforit so thatthe ailingartistwouldn'thave to come
to his workshopin Paris. At firstthe Shaws came unencumbered,but when
Shaw learnedthatRodin didn'tmindbeingphotographed(theplaywright
had
triedhis own hand), he asked permissionforhis friend,theAmericanphotographer,Alvin Langdon Coburn, to visitas well. Shaw,not easilyimpressedby
anyonefartherfromhimselfthanhis beard,was awarethatRodin'sthumbwas
WILLIAM GASS
29
a greaterimprimaturthan the Popes seal, and told Coburn: "No photograph

takenhas touchedhim
He is by a millionchalksthebiggestman you ever
saw; all yourothersittersare onlyfitto make gelatinto emulsifyforhis negative."30
Even morefrequently
photographedwereRodins sculptures,ofcourse,
manyof the betterones the work of Eugne Druet. These Rodin sometimes
stage-managed,butfewofthem(exceptingEdwardSteichens)possess theaestheticqualityor inherentdrama ofMichael Eastmanscontemporaryimages.31
Rodin could not have been disappointed with Coburns customarilylyrical
view since it shows the sculptorwearinga beard like a riverand a hat we now
call a "pillbox."Thereis a slightupwardtiltto Rodins head thatresemblesthe
heroicpose he fashionedforBalzac.
To watch Shaw pose forhis immortalityShaw gathereda crowd, also
calling the curator of the Fitzwilliam Museum, Sydney Cockerell, to his
side.
Rilke joined them,almost immediatelyimpressedwith Shaw as a sitconstellation
ter- the entiresquad eager to writebrilliantlyabout a glittering
theyunderestimatedeven while tryingto exaggerateit.
In the newspaper Gil Bias forMay 24, 1912,Shaw recollectedthe occasion:
hemeasuredme
. . . Whenhewasuncertain
Rodinworkedlaboriously.
withan old ironcompassandthenmeasuredthebust.Ifthenosewas
too longhe cutoffa sectionand pressedtheend to closethewound
a window.
thana glazierreplacing
withno moreemotionoraffectation
Iftheearwasnotin itsplacehe wouldcutitoffandlayiton correctly,
in thepresenceof
thesemutilations
beingexecutedcold-bloodedly
animated
see
the
to
alreadyterribly
mywife(who almostexpected
thatitwasquickerto do itthusly
claybegintobleed)whileremarking
thanto makea newear.32
Rilkewroteto Shaws German publisher,Samuel Fischer:
it
ofoneofyourmostremarkable
Rodinhasbeguntheportrait
authors;
in
the
likeness
has
a
to
be
making
exceptionally
good.Rarely
promises
hadso muchhelpfromthesubjectofitas thisbustofBernardShaw's.It
into
so muchenergy
atstanding
is notonlythatheis excellent
(putting
to thesculptor's
standingstilland givinghimselfso unconditionally
in thatpartofthe
himself
hands),buthe so collectsand concentrates
30
THE GEORGIA REVIEW

thewholeShaw,that
bodywhich,inthebust,willhave... torepresent
essence.33
seemstobecomeconcentrated
hiswholepersonality
Theyall took a breakto attendthe celebrationforthe installationof The

Thinkerin frontof the Panthon.Shaw,not to be outdone (and as excellentat
sittingas standing),persuaded Coburn to photographhim theverynextday,
naked followinghis morningbath,in thepose presentlybeforethe Panthon.
wonder.Rilkewas visiblytakenwiththeEnglish
The photoexistsforposterity's
genius,who didnt mind adulation even fromcallow unknowns.Apartfrom
that,duringRodins week of work,and worse, duringhis week of triumph,
Shaw had clearlybeen competingforattentionifnot glorywitha sundrythat
included Rodins secretaryand Rodins statue.Butlersays: "It was Rilke who
paid the price forthe mischievousEnglishman'svisit"(Butler,191).
AlthoughRilkewould suggestto Rodin thepurchaseoftheHotel Biron,
latertheRodin Museum,and fora timelivein thatbuilding(as Cocteau would,
who claimed to have a role in its preservation),his intimacywithRodin was
over.Two days afterShaws departureforLondon, on May 10,1906,Rilkewas
"dismissedlike a thievingservant."We can pretendto know precisely.
Notes
1Letter
toClaraRilke,
Letters
MariaRilke,
2,1902.
,trans.
1892-1910
Tuesday,
September
ofRainer
Bannard
Greene
andM.D.Herter
Norton
W.W Norton,
Jane
(NewYork:
1945),
77,78.Hereafter,
referred
tointhetext
asLetters.
Kenneth
TheRomantic
Rebellion
andRow,
Clark,
(NewYork:
1973),
353.
Harper
Letter
toLouAndreas
Letters
Salom,
18,
,
1903,
109.
July
: Rainer
MariaRilke
Straus
andGiroux,
Freedman,
Farrar,
(NewYork:
Ralph
1996),
Life
ofa Poet
108.
A Life
Rilke:
Russell
Stockman
Fromm
, trans.
International,
(NewYork:
Leppmann,
Wolfgang
1984).
6Letter
toClaraRilke,
Letters,
5,1902,
84.
September
SueRoe,Gwen
APainters
Straus
andGiroux,
John:
Farrar,
(NewYork:
2001).
Life
Albert
Rodin
ofModern
Art(NewYork:
Elsen,
,fortheMuseum
Doubleday,
1963),
165.
Robert
Descharnes
andJean-Franois
Rodin
Edita
Lausanne
Chabrun,
,trans.
(Secaucus,
Auguste
118.
Books,
NJ:Chartwell
1967),
Descharnes
andChabrun,
coute
Claudel
hadwritten
130.InLbeil
(TheEyeListens)
extensively
aboutFlemish
artandpraised
itinparticular
forcapturing
"themovement
ofhuman
lifetoward
its
conclusion
Incontrast,
Rodins
artwould
havehadtoseemprofane.
Roe,chapters
6,7.
126.Rodins
onRilke,
from
theFrench
Elsen,
ofview,
isthoroughly
discussed
impact
point
by
- l'Evolution
inRainer
MariaRilke
du
J.F.Angelloz
PaulHartmann,
and
(Paris:
spirituelle
1936),
pote
WILLIAM GASS
3I
inRilke
andFrance:
A Study
inPoetic
Oxford
(London:
by.A.J.Batterby
Development
University
Press,
1966).
13R.H.Wilenski,
TheMeaning
Beacon
Press,
(Boston:
1961),
25.
ofModern
Sculpture
14SeeAlbert
Perfect
HenriLeboss,"
inRodin
Rediscovered
Elsen,"Rodin's
Collaborator,
, ed.
Albert
Elsen(Washington,
DC:National
ofArt,
1981),
249-59.
Gallery
Letter
toClaraRilke,
Letters
,84.
5,1902,
September
Elsen,
32.
Elsen,
103.
Wilenski,
23,illus.ib.
ElieFaure,
trans.
Walter
Pach(NewYork:
andBros.,
Art,
1924),
Harper
History
ofArt-Modern
402-3.
bitfrom
Lestweforget
Mrs.Fuller
stalent,
herskill
with
here
isajuicy
Cocteau:
illusion,
namely
whodiscovered
thedanceofherage?AfatAmerican,
"Isitpossible
... toforget
that
woman
bespecshemanipulates
waves
offloating
tacled
andquiteugly,
ona hanging
platform,
gauzewith
standing
a protean
orchid
likea hornet
ina flower,
churns
aboutherself
andsomber,
active,
invisible,
poles,
s
andmaterial
that
oflight
rises,
turns,
floats,
swirls,
flares,
roars,
shapelikeclayina potter
changes
PorSouvenir
ofthetorch
andheaddress."
twisted
intheairunder
theemblem
Cocteau,
hands,
Jean
81.
traits
Browner
House,
,trans.
1990),
Jesse
(NewYork:
Paragon
Descharnes
andChabrun,
216.
Letter
toAuguste
Rodin,
11,1902,
87-88.
op.cit.,
September
tothelittle
refers
Letters
Letter
toClaraRilke,
, 90.Rilke
27,1902,
tiger
againina
September
128.
letter
toLouAndreas
Salom,
15,1903,
August
New
Works:
Rainer
MariaRilke-Selected
ed.andtrans.,
(NewYork:
J.B.Leishman,
Poetry
Rilke
H. Gass,Reading
William
arefrom
(NewYork:
Directions,
i960),, 178.Thesetranslations
Alfred
Knopf,
1999).
25Allen
and
TheFlowers
Baudelaire's
inCharles
wonderful
translation
Tate's
ofEvileds.Marthiel
CT:NewDirections,
Matthews
1955),
38.
(Norfolk,
Jackson
Letters
ofJuly
Letter
,112-15.
18,1903,
YaleUniversity
TheShape
Butler
sRodin:
from
Ruth
Press,
Somedetails
(NewHaven:
ofGenius
1993)Freedman,
242.
233,
andGirStraus
onArtandArtists
Leonardos
Farrar,
(NewYork:
Fenton,
James
Essays
Nephew:
anded.Charles
Kessler
TheDiaries
inLights:
Berlin
,trans,
; 1918-1937
oux,1998),
171.
Harry
ofCount
thisquote
anddoesnotcontain
ofthediaries
Grove
Kessler
Press,
1999)isanabridgment
(NewYork:
edition.
orinthecorresponding
foritthere
hunt
sodon't
English
Coburn:
Alvin
from
ofthismeeting
Details
Butler,
390,andthequotefrom
PhotograLangdon
22.
DoverPublications,
AnAutobiography
1978),
(NewYork:
pher,
in
"Rodin
andPhotography"
tothisartseeKirkVarnedoes
article,
ForRodins
relationship
Rodin
Rediscovered,
203-48.
126.
Quoted
byElsen,
390-91.
Quoted
byButler,

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can pretendto know precisely.At 3:00 on the Monday afternoon

THE GEORGIA REVIEW

Releasedto explorethestudioand itsholyobjects,Rilkediscovers,almost

Rilkehad broughta sheafofhispoems whichRodin dutifully

as a poet,he was invisiblein thisspace.

THE GEORGIA REVIEW

ten to five;or he fledby trainto Meudon and itsshelteringplasters,kinderto

old nightstandin theirhands,showingeveryonethattwenty

THE GEORGIA REVIEW

When theymet again it was at the newlymarriedcouples cottagenear

ods while he drew- comfortably

THE GEORGIA REVIEW

a prolongedmisuse of his sister,but in thiscase forgivenessmighthave been

THE GEORGIA REVIEW

let or Jesusforthatmatter,no one knewwhatLove looked like,her formand

proposedto commemoratetheFranco-Prussianwar,was so vehementitfailed

THE GEORGIA REVIEW

Isadora Duncan claimsthatshe wantsto have childrenofgeniusbyhim,

ifI cannotsucceed,I begyouto

THE GEORGIA REVIEW

of his cage wereborrowedfromthe LuxembourgGardens,and his gaze from

In a strangeway,Rilkesnew Rodin-inducedresolvewill unitethepoets most

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to show now for only a few,since we prize so littleeven in the thingswe

at restwill remainat rest- a body in motion will remainin motion- unless

THE GEORGIA REVIEW

workofartmustforma communitywhichallowseach elementitsown validity

rightones."Then in Praguehe twiceperformedfora small crowdofmystified

THE GEORGIA REVIEW

imperialeffectofRodins sculptureswhatevertheirsize. In his essaycollection

a greaterimprimaturthan the Popes seal, and told Coburn: "No photograph

THE GEORGIA REVIEW

Theyall took a breakto attendthe celebrationforthe installationof The

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