Rodin’s Hands in Philadelphia

Despite having little formal training as an artist, Auguste Rodin became famous for his ability to convey intense emotion through his naturalistic modeling of the human form. Rodin’s Hands explores his fascination with one of the most expressive parts of the body through 15 bronzes and plasters. One highlight is The Cathedral, whose title reflects another of the sculptor’s passions (he wrote a book on the cathedrals of France). Two right hands, palms facing, fingertips nearly touching, bring to mind a Gothic vault.