The Hand of God

Auguste Rodin French

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 800

Here, Rodin makes extraordinary use, both technical and allegorical, of the medium of marble. The material plays a key role in the sculpture, especially the underworked and roughly chiseled portions. A variation on the theme of birth and beginnings, the work presents Adam and Eve entwined in a fetal position and emerging from an amorphous mound of marble cradled in God's hand. During a seminal trip to Italy in 1876, Rodin had encountered works by Michelangelo in which the figures similarly materialize out of rough stone, symbolizing the process of artistic creation itself.

The Hand of God, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Marble, French

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The Hand of God, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Marble, French
The Hand of God, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Marble, French
The Hand of God, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Marble, French
The Hand of God, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Marble, French
The Hand of God, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Marble, French
The Hand of God, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Marble, French
The Hand of God, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Marble, French
The Hand of God, Auguste Rodin (French, Paris 1840–1917 Meudon), Marble, French

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