Saint John the Baptist Preaching, first modeled 1878, this cast 1966
Bronze
Auguste Rodin
French, 1840-1917
Working from live models, Rodin strove to capture a sense of movement in many of his sculptures. To achieve this, he would sketch his models in motion rather than a static pose. Here, we have the sense that St. John is simultaneously walking forward and turning to the side, with one hand raised as though ready to begin preaching. Rodin gave the work a conventional title to appease critics, though the sculpture has none of the traditional attributes of St. John the Baptist, like a staff with a cross and camel’s skin clothing.
Rodin hired non-professional models because he believed they posed more naturalistically. For this sculpture, he hired an Italian peasant named Pignatelli who seemed to embody the qualities of the visionary spirit of St. John.
Gift of B. Gerald Cantor Art Foundation, M.73.108.12
Visual Description: This is a sculpture made of bronze that depicts a nude, sinewy man, Saint John the Baptist. The sculpture stands roughly two and a half feet tall and is dark brown. The man is mid-step and he turns to his left side, almost like he is looking out at someone. Saint John’s mouth is slightly agape, as though he were about to start speaking. His right arm extends out at shoulder height, gesturing. Saint John has long hair as well as a mustache and a short, curly beard.
