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Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) stated that his aim was to be absolutely faithful to nature; he steadfastly refused to idealize his subjects, creating instead an unprecedented combination of outer realism and psychological insight. He often used and re-used his figures, and even parts of them (torsos, limbs, and hands).
The Musee du Rodin is located at the Hotel Biron in Paris. On the grounds are Rodin's home -- from 1898 until his death in 1917 -- and a large studio/museum. Rodin and his wife are buried there under an enlarged version of The Thinker. The museum contains the original plasters of many of his greatest works. Other works by Rodin are on display in the house and on the grounds.
In 1909, Rodin pleaded with the French government not to destroy the house but to make it a museum of his work. He donated all his property, correspondence, and pieces of art to the state, and finally, in 1916, the government agreed to convert the Hotel Biron into a museum for him. The museum opened in 1919.
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THE THINKEROf all Rodin's works, The Thinker was the most important to him. If The Age of Bronze summarized his youthful aspirations, The Thinker was Rodin's emblem of his mature self. Rodin guarded the sculpture with unusual care: variations of the work were entrusted only to his most experienced associates and casters.Originally titled "the Poet," the piece was to be the dominant figure presiding over The Gates of Hell. Rodin began the Poet, with Dante, Michelangelo, and Carpeaux as his mentors. He made some experiments with the seated figure, including a complete turning form with Michelangelesque modeling, and a series of small Titans in porcelain, which were made at Sèvres in 1878. The Thinker as we know it emerged by 1882. There are few precedents for the pose, proportions, and power of The Thinker. By bringing the right elbow to the left knee, the hand to the chin, and by coiling the figure into a crouch, Rodin created his most powerful form. The pose surveys the flood of bodies that made up The Gates. Rodin acknowledged that he began with the idea of making a figure of the Poet, of Dante. Once complete, as The Gates would never be, and freed from a narrative context, Rodin change his original name for the piece from the Poet to The Thinker a title the figure carried in its first and all subsequent exhibitions. It was a form he kept intact: only the hand was extracted from the figure and issued as a separate object. |
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The KissRodin completed The Kiss in 1885 and exhibited it in the following year. Despite mixed reviews of its initial showing; "The Kiss" was soon recognized as one of the artist's greatest works. Rodin sold versions in marble by special order during the late 1880's and 1890's, and by the turn of the century he had decided to issue editions in bronze of various sizes. |
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The Gates of HellAcross the garden from The Thinker stands Rodin's monumental masterpiece, The Gates of Hell. It was installed in the garden of the Museum in 1937. By a decree of 16 August 1880, Rodin received a commission from the Directorate of Fine Arts for a monumental door which was to be decorated with low reliefs inspired by The Divine Comedy of Dante. This door was intended for the planned Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris to be built on the site of the Cour des Comptes, demolished in 1871 (this site is now occupied by the Musée d'Orsay). The subject was probably suggested by Rodin for it is known that he admired Dante and used to keep a copy of his book in his pocket.Rodin ignored two thirds of the poem by Dante to concentrate on its darkest side, the part about Hell. The first year was primarily devoted to sketches which followed the text of the poem closely, but once he started modelling, he only retained a few identifiable characters, such as Paolo and Francesca, Ugolino and his Children, The Shades, and The Thinker, a portrayal of Dante himself, among a host of figures in different sizes. These figures or groups invade the traditional underlying structure, sometimes replacing the architectural components, and were made independently of one another. |
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Rodin's Collection
As a pleasant bonus, there was a small showing of Rodin's art collection in the museum. These two are from one of my favorite artist, Van Gough's. The piece on the right is van Gogh's oil on canvas, Le Père Tanguy from the late 1887 (92 x 73 cm) |
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