Digital subscriptions provided by the City of Gulfport THE GABBER.COM No. 2791
December 15, 2022 - December 21, 2022
Artful Thievery Enter the first gallery in the Museum of Fine Arts’ splendid exhibition, True Nature: Rodin and the Nature of Impressionism, and you quickly understand the case being made by the title. In the center stands a small bronze, “John the Baptist Preaching,” by Auguste Rodin (1840-1917), the sculptor often regarded as the epitome of the tormented lone-wolf artist. Yet the sculpture is surrounded by works (and wall cards) that show that, rather than relying strictly on his own inspiration, he drew from the swirl of influences of his time. Two details in the gallery bring that connection into relief: the creases Rodin has forged into John’s forehead and the water lily blossoms in Monet’s “Nympheas,” hung on the gallery wall to the right. While you’re commonly told to stand back from Impressionist paintings to get their full effect, get close to this one to see the brushstrokes emanating from the blossoms. Like Rodin’s “John the Baptist,” fervent in thought, Monet’s flowers seem almost to vibrate with life — works by two artists who, like many others in the late 19th century, were committed to capturing the Artful continued on page 19
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By David Warner
Rodin’s “Jean d’Aire.”
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