February 11, 2006
Le Baiser/The Kiss by Rodin
In honor of St. Valentine's, I post Rodin's most famous sculpture and monument to love. Blending sensuality and idyllic love Rodin created one of the greatest images of love based on his own love for the young Camille, whom he often called his own muse.
It is based on Virgil and Dante's visit through hell, "The Inferno". While there they saw, among those who had committed sins of the flesh, Paolo and Francesca, two individuals who had lived in the Middle Ages in Italy.
Around 1275, Francesca married Gianciotto Malatesta, Lord of Rimini. He entrusted her in to the care of his brother, the handsome young Paolo. It is said that Paolo and Francesca fell in love with each other while reading romances of courtly love. Rodin portrays them in the moment after having read the tragic story of Lancelot and Guinevere. As they realize their love for one another, Rodin captures what must have been their first kiss shortly before they are killed.
