Exercise in Studio Art: Ugliness and Beauty in Sculpture

Auguste Rodin said:

"And as it is solely the power of character which makes for beauty in art, it often happens that the uglier a being is in nature, the more beautiful it becomes in art."

"There is nothing ugly in art except that which is without character, that is to say, that which offers no outer or inner truth."

"Whatever is false, whatever is artificial, whatever seeks to be pretty rather than expressive, whatever is capricious and affected, whatever smiles without motive, bends or struts without cause, is mannered without reason; all that is without soul and without truth; all that is only a parade of beauty and grace; all, in short, that lies, is ugliness in art."

Student instructions:

Using Rodin's idea of ugliness as your guide, search the AMICO Library and find a sculpture you consider ugly. Then create a sketch, plan, maquette, or model for a sculpture representing your interpretation of Rodin's idea of beauty.

Include with your assignment a print out of the work from the AMICO Library and a brief description of the "ugly" sculpture and the "beautiful"sculpture.

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