Comparison of Matisse, Back I-IV and Rodin, The Walking Man.
Throughout the centuries, art has gone though many changes as new artists arise. Many of the artists try to separate themselves from other artists by creating something new that no one had created before, and other artists are inspired by past artists. This leads to having a variety of different kinds of artworks with many different kinds of styles. Each artist can create a piece of art of the same subject but have emphasizes on different components. And this gives the artwork an all new meaning and feeling. In this paper, we will compare how two works of art, during the same time frame, can give a different impression but have the same relative subject. The two works of art that are being compared, is Back I-IV by Henri Matisse and The Walking Man by Auguste Rodin. .
Auguste Rodin created the sculpture The Walking Man in 1905. The sculpture is made out of bronze. Rodin created this piece of artwork in Paris, France. But you do not have to go Paris to see it. There is an enlarged fabricated version in The Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden in Houston. In The Lillie and Hugh Roy Cullen Sculpture Garden, you can also see Matisse's figure of Back I-IV. Matisse's figure is also created out of bronze and was created over a period of twenty-one years, from 1909 to 1930. Back I was created in 1909, Back II was created in 1913, Back III was created 1917, and Back IV was completed in 1930.
Rodin wanted to create a very life like sculpture that seems almost real. Rodin helps make it more realistic by carving it very carefully in detail. He shows the muscle strains in the legs as the man is walking and holding position. He also brings out the ripples in the man's abdominal muscles as if the man is about to pick up his leg to put it in front of the other. The figure seems like it is in action or motion. The figure also seems very weighty.