Sunday: Rodin - What is Genius?

Have to Adjust to 'small town' working hours. Being a Sunday, nothing really opened or got moving until about 11am. Thus I went to the art gallery first and they had an exquisite exhibition of Rodin sculptures. While there, a brother and sister where having a look at the exhibit by themselves. They were about 12 years old - the sister into it, the brother wanted to be elsewhere.

It made me wonder, how would you explain the 'genuis' of Rodin to someone like that? I've always had a thing when it comes to art about people talking down to those interested but with little background. Often the response seems to be something along the lines "well, if you can't understand his genius, then your just uncultured". Always seemed to be a cop out. People want to know more about it and rather than nurtured, their interest is dismissed.

Then it occurred to me, at least in the context of Rodin. Genius' are able to create a new path through the wilderness, to get to a beautiful site we've never seen before. They lead the way and do all the hard yards so that once we see it in the new light, it becomes obvious and how could we have ever seen it differently. Think about impressionist paintings. They started to see light differently yet it makes such obvious sense today.

In terms of Rodin, he showed a new way of expressing the human form. Something less polished than a Michangelo but as valid.