The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2024

Titans, Support for a Vase

Titans, Support for a Vase

c. 1877
figures modeled by
(French, 1840–1917)
designed by
(French, 1824–1887)
Overall: 37.5 x 38.1 x 38.1 cm (14 3/4 x 15 x 15 in.)
Location: not on view

Description

During his lifetime and afterward, Auguste Rodin was viewed as the modern equivalent to Michelangelo. Rodin worked against the prevailing styles of his time and may have seen parallels between his own struggles and Michelangelo’s reputation in the 1800s as a suffering genius. In 1875 Rodin went to Italy to study Renaissance art, specifically works by Michelangelo. The twisting titans (giants) on this pedestal base are directly inspired by Michelangelo’s ignudi (male nudes) on the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Rodin did not directly copy the poses but translated the energy and movement of the nudes into new, three-dimensional forms.
  • [Elstir Gallery, Paris]
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, “The Cleveland Museum of Art Acquires Major Works,” December 20, 1995, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art. Cleveland Art: The Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine. Vol. 36 no. 07, September 1996 Reproduced: cover; Mentioned: p. 2, 6 archive.org
    Fergonzi, Flavio. Rodin and Michelangelo: A Study in Artistic Inspiration. Philadelphia, PA: Philadelphia Museum of Art, 1997. Mentioned: p. 98; Reproduced: p. 99
    Peters, Emily. “Master/Apprentice: Imitation and Inspiration in the Renaissance.” Cleveland Art: Cleveland Museum of Art Members Magazine 59, no. 5 (September/October 2019): 8-9. Reproduced: P. 9; Mentioned: P. 8.
  • Master/Apprentice: Imitation and Inspiration in the Renaissance. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 13, 2019-February 23, 2020).
    Rodin-100 Years. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 1, 2017-May 13, 2018).
    Rodin—100 Years. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 1, 2017-May 13, 2018).
    Monet to Dalí: Modern Masters from the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (October 21, 2007-January 13, 2008).
    Rodin and Michelangelo: A Study in Artistic Inspiration . Philadelphia Museum of Art (organizer) (March 27-June 22, 1997).
  • {{cite web|title=Titans, Support for a Vase|url=false|author=Auguste Rodin, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse|year=c. 1877|access-date=22 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1995.71