Yasumichi Morita’s aim in 〈Porcelain Nude〉 was to photograph parts of living bodies. To capture their infinitely exquisite curves. In the fragments of a porcelain-like human body, Morita saw a beauty that could only be the work of God.
In his latest work, 〈Rodin x Morita〉, we see that Auguste Rodin’s sculpture was taken from the same perspective. But what appears on paper is a fresh, vivid expression. The “bodies” in it say nothing, while the desire, rage and sadness they emanate are accentuated in the monochrome, and the viewer is drawn into a melting pot of emotions. The marble sculpture, which Morita describes as “more human than human,” has accumulated stains and dirt over the years, revealing the emotions stirred in a person by its surface and form. Details photographed in natural light in pursuit of beauty bring to the fore a human being. The strangeness of human life resides in the texture of the sculptures, as if they have been stroked or sweat upon.

© Yasumichi Morita/Musée Rodin, Paris