October 23rd

Rodin and Claudel: Lovers of Stone

Rodin was the most celebrated sculptor of the French Romantic school and lived at the time when, in painting, Impressionism stormed the art world. Although he was professionally descended from Michelangelo, his work shows a preference for modelling and the expression of character and movement. Despite his great influence on subsequent sculptors, his name, in recent years, has often been associated with his pupil and mistress, Camille Claudel. Her own genius is believed to have disturbed or even threatened Rodin. The lecture looks at both artists’ work, their similarities and, above all, their depiction of human emotions.

Juliet Heslewood

Juliet studied History of Art at London University. For thirty years she lived in France where she became a lecturer on art and architecture in the Midi-Pyrenees area and gained a Masters degree in English Literature at Toulouse University. She has devised and led art study tours in some seven areas of France. As a writer, she has published many books - folktales, fiction and art - of which her History of Western Painting for Young People was translated into twelve languages. Returned to England she continues to write and hosts informal art history classes as well as lecturing widely for organisations including The Arts Society and the Ashmolean Museum. Her most recent book is Van Gogh: A Life in Places which led her to take part in the television series Art on the BBC.

Image Credits:  Wiki Commons, Public Domain