Two Revolutionaries - Rodin and Monet
The same age, two world artists - and what's more, the two were born just two days apart in Paris in November 1840. So, Monet and Rodin could have gone to school together and had a playdate: "Let's do it this way - one day you'll revolutionise sculpture, I'll revolutionise painting." But of course, it wasn't like that. But at least they became close friends. We do not know exactly when their friendship began (certainly well before 1889, when their work was presented in a joint exhibition), but it lasted demonstrably until Rodin died in 1917 and was characterised by the greatest mutual esteem. Monet referred to Rodin as "the great among the greats", while Rodin in turn assured Monet of his enduring admiration, saying that he was the artist who had helped him understand light, clouds, the sea and cathedrals. In 2020, the art world celebrated the 180th anniversary of their birth.
