Right Hand c. 1880s

Curator: Here we have Auguste Rodin's "Right Hand," a bronze sculpture from the 1880s. What do you make of it? Editor: Striking! The gesture seems almost imploring, though there is also something truncated and disconcerting about it. Curator: Interesting. I think Rodin’s ability to imbue a fragment, a detached body part, with such emotional resonance is precisely what makes his work so revolutionary. A hand, often seen as a symbol of labor, is here divorced from any action. It exists as a statement in itself. Editor: Right. The hand’s isolation shifts its significance. Rodin reframes the hand as a protagonist. Do you think it's intended as an artistic statement about labor's separation in modern life? Or maybe about creation, literally about the power of the artist’s hand? Curator: Possibly both! Rodin lived during a time of incredible societal shifts brought about by the industrial revolution and scientific advancements. I can see him using such a symbol to consider this period of dislocation, where old patterns were breaking down. Also the artist-creator angle resonates too given that hands are core to creating artwork, writing or music pieces. Editor: Indeed, by focusing on one expressive part, the whole shifts; we examine our relationship with work, action, and meaning making with much sharper awareness. Curator: It speaks volumes doesn’t it? A subtle reminder that we are not only what we create, but the creative act itself is fundamental to who we are, perhaps even more valuable than the product. Editor: What started out for me as a simple isolated body part actually transforms the conversation toward bigger social issues regarding change. Curator: And that, I think, is the genius of Rodin!