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Working while observing a life model played a fundamental role in Rodin’s creative process. In his address books, he used to jot down the names of his models (men, women, young and old people…), together with notes about their physical characteristics. Instead of requesting decorous academic poses, the sculptor always preferred to give them tremendous leeway in the poses they adopted, as he sought to capture true movement in the countless drawings he made “from life”, without taking his eyes off the model. In these “drawings without looking”, the artist accepted, and sought, the anatomical distortions and sculptural innovations produced by this type of working method: “Since I began,” Rodin declared enthusiastically, “I have the impression that I know how to draw… And I know why my drawings have this intensity: it’s because I do not intervene. Between nature and paper, I eliminated talent. I do not reason. I simply let myself go.”.(cited in Figures d’Eros, p. 50)