Visit guide for teachers

Rodin and the art ofancient Greece26 April – 29 July 2018

Auguste Rodin (1840–1917), The Kiss. S.174. Plaster, after 1898. Musée Rodin, Paris.

Planning your visitWe recommend the following planning guidelines: Provide a focus for students to keep in mind as

they explore the exhibition and which you can follow up afterwards.

Do some preparatory work in school to develop the focus of the visit and familiarise students with the content of the exhibition.

Allow students some scope to explore and find objects that interest them.

Curriculum linksThe exhibition can be used to support the following curriculum areas:

History: life and times of Auguste Rodin, ancient Greece, ancient art, museum objects.

Art and Design: sculpture, 2D and 3D artworks, artistic techniques, sources of artistic inspiration, experimental art.

PSHE: thinking about the past, collecting the past, identity, conveying emotion.

A level History of Art: Auguste Rodin is a named artist. The exhibition includes a number of his works and explores the inspiration for his art.

Using this resourceThis resource is designed to support your visit to the Rodin and the art of ancient Greece exhibition. It aims to be cross-curricular and offer opportunities to work the exhibition into different subjects across the curriculum. To accompany this resource there is a downloadable image bank of objects displayed in the exhibition and a set of worksheets that can be adapted to suit your needs.

Le Penseur sur chapiteau, plâtreAuguste Rodin AD 1890sMusée Rodin, Paris

Visit guide for teachers

Rodin and the art of ancient Greece 2

Introduction to the exhibitionAuguste Rodin (1840-1917) was one of the most innovative modern sculptors. He admired ancient Greek art and used it as inspiration for his own work. Rodin often visited London and was inspired by objects in the British Museum, in particular the Parthenon Sculptures which were designed by the 5th century BC artist Pheidias. Please be aware the exhibition includes drawings and sculptures of the naked human body.

Using the exhibitionIn advanceDecide on a focus for the visit and the follow-up activities. Go through these with the students. Use the image bank to familiarise students with some of the exhibition content. Exhibition activity sheets are available to download and can be adapted to meet the needs of your students. Go through any exhibition activities with the students and accompanying adults beforehand.

On the dayEncourage adults to allow students to linger at objects which interest them, discuss what they see and share ideas as they go round. Remind students to behave calmly and politely. Photography is not allowed in the exhibition, but students may take photographs of relevant objects in the Museum’s permanent galleries.

AfterwardsUse the information (written, drawn, photographed and/or discussed) gathered by the students in the exhibition/Museum galleries as a starting point for follow-up activities back at school.

The ‘big’ questionsIt is a good idea to have a big question for students to consider during their visit to the exhibition. Here are some possible examples: Which did I think, and why, was the most

interesting object in the exhibition? What did I learn about Rodin that I did not

know before? Which aspects of Rodin’s work were shown in

the exhibition? Are there other aspects of his work which I would like to find out about?

What did I learn about sculpture as an art form?

Exhibition themesThe exhibition is divided into six sections.

Art and nature Rodin greatly admired the sculptures from the Parthenon temple. He thought that they were so true to nature that they seemed to live and breathe. In his own work Rodin tried to capture the essence of the living model and to give it new form. He did not aim to make exact copies from nature, but instead aimed to bring a new creative force to life in his work.

Rodin, Painting of an ancient scene inspired by Parthenon friezeAD 1890sMusée Rodin, Paris

The monument Rodin was commissioned to make a set of monumental gates for a new museum in Paris. Known as ‘The Gates of Hell’ the piece was never finished (and the museum was never built), but Rodin used figures from the gates and re-purposed them to make new monuments and assemblages. Like the Parthenon sculptures, many of Rodin’s figures began life as architectural elements. When removed from their architectural setting they were converted into art objects in their own right.

Rodin’s Parthenon Rodin never visited Greece but he began studying the Parthenon and its sculptures from books, casts in the École des Beaux-Arts and a few originals in the Louvre. Later he collected photographs of the temple and its sculptures. He put his drawings and photographs in albums, and bought small casts and ancient Greek fragments. At the British Museum he made drawing of the sculptures on display. These all became part of his vast working archive.

Parthenon south frieze, block XLIV 5th century BC British Museum, London

The fragment Rodin assembled a collection of over 6000 antiquities, many of which were fragments. Rodin removed the head and limbs from his own sculptures so that they looked more like ancient archaeological ruins. By doing so he created a new genre of contemporary art: the headless, limbless torso. Inspired by sculptural fragments, he made artworks which showed a single part of the body. He also explored bringing together a number of different objects, whole or fragmentary, to create a new artwork.

Emotion Rodin aimed to give his art a sense of emotion conveyed by facial expression, pose and gesture. He was fascinated by ancient Greek mythical creatures, such as the centaurs on the Parthenon metopes, and the dark emotion of many Greek myths.

Rodin, Sculpture of the Renaissancec. AD 1911Musée Rodin, Paris

Motion Rodin was interested in how an artist could represent motion in art. He studied how the Parthenon sculptors simulated motion by posing individual figures (human and animal) to create a sense of movement. Rodin insisted that only sculpture and drawing (and not photography) could capture the essence of movement.

Visit guide for teachers

Rodin and the art of ancient Greece 3

Curricular opportunities

HistoryAncient art work was a great source of inspiration for Rodin. He assembled his own collection of antiquities and often visited the British Museum.

Use the exhibition to find out about the life and work of Rodin. Look for objects which help you to understand which ancient objects inspired him.

Spotlight objects:See slides 1, 2, 3 and 4 in the powerpoint that accompanies this resource.

Follow up activities: Research and create an information poster on

Rodin with written facts, drawings, photographs, diagrams and maps. Display the poster and share your favourite facts with the class.

Locate the British Museum on a map of London. What other museums/art galleries are there in London? What objects and subjects can you study at the different museums/art galleries? Identify other museums/art galleries across the UK/world and find out what they display.

Discuss which historical periods you enjoy learning about the most. What inspired your interest? Create a montage of different periods from the past recording the different interests of the class.

Art and DesignRodin enjoyed experimenting with different techniques and materials. He was interested in how art could show emotion and movement. He created pieces which aimed to convey different feelings and capture movement.

Use the exhibition to explore the art of ancient Greece and Rodin. Look at the different ways in which Rodin responded artistically to ancient objects. Consider the impact on his own work.

Spotlight objects:See slides 5, 6, 7 and 8 in the powerpoint that accompanies this resource.

Follow up activities: Use a single object as a starting point and

experiment with different techniques to create an artistic response to the object – draw all of it (pencil, pastel, chalk), draw part of it, make a model, make a print, make a painting.

Think of a set of verbs to describe different movements – run, jump, fall, stumble, sit – how can you show this movement in an art work (drawing or model).

Make small sculptures which combine two different media e.g. clay and wood, paper and wire. Experiment with how the two materials can be combined and how the properties of a particular material allows you to create shapes and surfaces.

PSHERodin was an artist who enjoyed experimenting with how art could represent people, places and concepts. Use the exhibition to explore how Rodin gave his pieces a sense of place/history. Investigate which parts of the body Rodin used to convey human emotion. Discuss how art can be used to express the identity of a person or a culture.

Spotlight objects:See slides 9, 10, 11 and 12 in the powerpoint that accompanies this resource.

Follow up activities: Discuss the objects you saw in the exhibition.

Choose an object and create an annotated diagram about the person, place, period and passion shown in the work.

Create a self-portrait which conveys an important aspect of your identity by including a symbol, place or activity as part of the portrait.

Reflect on what you think interested Rodin. What aspects of the past inspired him? How did he respond in his own work? Discuss how you reacted to his work. Which aspects did you like, which aspects inspired you, which aspects did you find it harder to relate to?

Visit guide for teachers

Rodin and the art of ancient Greece 4