Find a piece of modern art of sculpture specifically that relates to Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss. Give a brief description and comparison.
Here is a piece on display at South Korea’s outdoor sex-themed sculpture park. These pieces are obviously very similar in their depiction of a man and a woman kissing. What is most interesting about these two pieces is that while Rodin’s piece was created in a much more conservative time, it is much more intimate. The piece below seems much more modest, yet is on display in a sex-themed park, which would be very controversial in Rodin’s time.
This assignment has several benefits to a student. It encourages the student to do self-research and select between many options. They must find any piece of art and select one they believe they can write about. Because there are no limitations on the piece they select such as genre, artist, medium or region, only that it must compare to Rodin’s piece, they must figure out how to do the research on their own and navigate search engines to find something of all the art in the world they believe they can effectively write about. They must develop support for their idea that the pieces are similar, different, or both. They must think abstractly to theorize how these works compare.
All of these tasks are greatly beneficial to any student. Learning to form arguments and think abstractly will help a student not only in the classroom or workplace, but in situations they may face day to day throughout life, such as financing a large investment or painting their ceiling. As a more short term benefit, the student is learning more about not only Rodin, but other modern artists and sculptors. They are also improving their ability to navigate search engines and specify their desired search. When I was looking for a piece to compare, I typed in several subjects to the search bar and followed several links to long ends to find a sculpture that I felt I could effectively write about.
In summary, this assignment has many short and long term benefits; it teaches students to think abstractly, argue effectively, and learn a little more about sculpture and Rodin’s work.
-LG
