Allegory of Spring 1882 - 1888

Curator: This etching by Auguste Rodin, made sometime between 1882 and 1888, is entitled "Allegory of Spring." Editor: Oh, immediately it feels like something born from a dream—wispy and unreal, tinged with a somber undertone, like the bittersweet memory of a spring long past. Curator: Interesting. Formally speaking, the use of etching allows Rodin to create a network of fine lines, building up tone and texture. You'll notice the figure in the center is carrying a cluster of cherubic figures on her head and shoulders, while a serpentine trail billows out from behind. Editor: Serpentine, yes! She's powerful, though. Look at her stance—planted and enduring. Is she weighed down or emboldened by these chubby burdens she carries? I keep flipping between the two. They’re all part of her—born from her, or maybe they’re ideas she juggles, dreams she balances. Curator: Rodin often explored themes of creation and the human condition. This allegory perhaps visualizes spring not just as a season, but as an internal process—a blooming, a struggle of birth. The nude form grounds the allegory in human terms. Her physicality, however idealized, roots the experience to a tangible reality. Editor: The hatching really gives a feeling of constant movement. A process... becoming. Maybe it is a spring still to come, because those little ones are almost more suggestion than fully realized beings. They hint at a kind of future. An unfolding. It's that gorgeous Rodin blurring of the line between the ideal and something real, visceral, and somehow a little wounded. Curator: Note too how the line work at the base appears more chaotic, perhaps representing the tumultuous undercurrents that fertilize new growth, with sharper contrast towards the upper areas around the cherubs. The tonality suggests emergence. Editor: That's it exactly... An act of faith and endurance. This spring, it isn't just gently appearing; it's being wrestled into existence, a wholehearted, even defiant offering. It feels brave. Curator: Rodin was so invested in presenting psychological as well as physical landscapes within his artworks, wasn't he? Editor: Absolutely! And with this glimpse into a kind of spring coming-to-be, well… now, the world outside has a lot to live up to.