Auguste Rodin
French, 1840­1917
The Walking Man
c. 1900
Bronze
84.1 x 61 cm
Bequest of A. James Speyer, 1987.217

Moved by the power of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures that had been found only in fragments, Rodin deliberately created sculptures that were fragments of the human figure. Here only the torso and legs express the purposeful stride of this man.

Rodin lived and worked in Paris at the same time as the Impressionist painters, who were less interested in depicting solid forms than in capturing the effects of light. Some people consider Rodin an Impressionist sculptor. Notice how this rough surface catches and reflects light.