Dance Movement "G" 1905 - 1955

This is Auguste Rodin’s "Dance Movement 'G'," there's no date to it, but I know it resides at the Met. I'm looking at this bronze figure and can just imagine Rodin building it with clay, pushing and prodding and pinching this small figure into being. The way one leg stretches skyward to almost touch her head while she balances precariously on the other tells me everything about what it means to be off balance. I feel for Rodin, and the dancer. Imagine trying to capture that precise torque of the body, that moment of tension and release. Her gesture has a rough, almost unfinished quality, like a sketch that captures the essence of movement. It's like Rodin is chatting with all those Renaissance sculptors, Donatello, Michelangelo. They were all obsessed with the human form. He's like, "Hey, let's see what this thing can really DO!" It makes me wanna go back to my studio and just play, to embrace the mess and see what happens.