A few minutes with Rodin/Claudel

[after “The Implorer”, Claudel]

Les Grands Ballets here in Montreal put on a small drawing contest in honor of their production Rodin/Claudel. (“A work about the torrid romance between Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel”). I’d heard about the open invitation to come and sketch two dancers in poses inspired by the sculptors – so I thought – That’s for me!

It was well attended I think, for this sort of local radio/facebook/PR kind of thing – looked like around 60 or 70 people turned out to draw or watch drawings happen. I was surprised it was a series of 5 minute poses – quite challenging for an ‘all-skill levels’ type of drawing competition. Especially on the two figure compositions. 5 minutes with two figures is not a lot of time if you try to get all the hands and feet and faces in:)  I chose to econcomize on these sketches. Just go for the feeling of the pose/sculpture. The dancers were of course, elegant emoters (if that’s a word) – and no doubt well aware of the original works. It think it’ll be fun to play spot-the-sculptures in the full performance.

Unfortunately I cannot show you my favorite drawing – as it was selected as one of the five competition winners, and hopefully now sits in a nice frame on the choreographers wall. But, they did give me a pair of tickets to the performance next weekend – so that’s not a bad use of five minutes time on a rainy Saturday.

I do wonder if they’ll get into the part where Camille goes mad, smashes up her sculptures with a hammer, and eventually ends her days imprisoned in the asylum. You have to wonder if living in Rodin’s shadow did her in.

[“The Kiss”, Rodin]

[The Thinker, Rodin]

Some snapshots of the event, courtesy John Hall of Motion Photography. I’m in there toward the middle of the pack :)