Jupiter and lo

"Jupiter and lo", Auguste Rodin, 1900-1915

Auguste Rodin’s Jupiter and Io presents his appreciation for Greek mythology and his dependence on the female nude as a classicizing agent. Jupiter and Io not only illustrates Rodin’s artistic process through repetition of line and gestural study, but also his preoccupation with controlling the female form, through the obvious masking of the female’s face by a male shadow, disembodied, but overpowering. While the feminine form is celebrated in his work, it acts more as a way for Rodin to showcase his masculine artistic talent rather than represent the feminine.