Sotheby's brings into sharp focus the unexpected yet profound artistic kinship between Francis Bacon, the postwar modernist painter, and Auguste Rodin, the turn-of-the-century bronze sculptor. Despite operating across different eras and media, the two artists are united by their shared commitment to exploring the human figure, viewing the body not as an object of "idealized beauty" but as a "vessel for truth stripped of artifice and pushed to its limits". Through a compelling juxtaposition of their works, Sotheby’s illuminates a conversation between canvas and bronze where raw emotion, vulnerability, intensity, and anguish define the subjects.
Rodin’s seminal work, The Burgers of Calais, commissioned in 1884, stands as a monumental rejection of classical heroism. Instead of depicting figures as idealized saviors, Rodin presented "fragile anguished men weighed down by sacrifice questioning their fate". His commitment to realism and authenticity was absolute; when approaching the commission, Rodin insisted on using "native people of the region" and even an actor, Kokula, to pose for figures such as Pier Visant. The resulting figures, including Jean DeFien raising his arms in supplication and Pier Vison bowing his head in defiance and surrender, are intentionally "over life size" to "surprise people" and foster identification. These are presented as "ordinary men caught up in an extraordinary act of self-sacrifice". Sotheby’s suggests that this interrogation of the human form, devoid of heroism, looks forward directly to Bacon’s own sensibility.
Bacon and Rodin: A Dialogue in Flesh and Bronze
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Bacon similarly saw the body as a "vessel of psychological intensity rather than a perfected ideal," interrogating the form to reveal a "raw truth". A powerful example of this radical approach is his Portrait of a Dwarf (1975). This work was born from a dramatic act: Bacon, dissatisfied with the left side of a larger composition, took a knife and "literally cut the canvas in two," intending to destroy the left part and preserving the intense right-hand panel. This dramatic "stripping away the excess to get to the raw core" echoes a technique used by Rodin, particularly the deliberate dismemberment of his sculpture Lavoir Interior to achieve a "more powerful focused expression". The Dwarf, which Bacon kept in his personal collection and exhibited in 1977, possesses a "palpable intensity" where the figure’s "distorted face and twisted limbs hit you with this incredible force".
Bacon’s admiration for Rodin was significant, shaping his art for decades. Bacon once named Rodin alongside Michelangelo and Brancusi as the only three sculptors of note. His exposure to Rodin's work likely began in the mid-1920s in London, where a cast of The Burgers of Calais stands outside the Houses of Parliament. Furthermore, as an "avowed Francophile," Bacon frequently spent time in Paris, affording him opportunities to visit the Musée Rodin. This influence is visible in the "tension and compression" found in Bacon's painted figures.
This shared psychological complexity is evident even in Bacon’s softer works, such as Study for Self-Portrait (1980). Here, Bacon reflects on an older age, using atmospheric hues—"blues, pinks and oranges"—which he specifically dubbed his "impressionist period," perhaps echoing the pastels of Degas. Yet, beneath the haze lies the "same psychological tension," resulting in an image "imbued with both compassion and unease". The textural connection further binds them: the "slashed scumble paint" in Bacon’s canvases mirrors the "tactile irregularities of Rodan's bronzes," resulting in both media transforming into "living breathing flesh".
The presentation of these works by Sotheby’s allows viewers to witness their dialogue afresh. By stripping away idealization and confronting the human body "as it really is—vulnerable distorted and alive with emotion"—Bacon and Rodin create subjects that are instantly recognizable, "like they're someone you saw on the street". The raw, recognizable struggle of figures like the young Burger—who seems to question why he is being sacrificed when he is "young" and "strong"—transcends time, creating a powerful, universal connection.
