The Rodin Museum ... and the Thinker...

SSD_8670We visited Auguste Rodin's museum which is housed on the site chosen by the sculptor, where Rodin lived from 1908 onward. The museum collection includes works and documents from his studioSSD_8691 and his own collection. Ironically, Rodin failed the entrance examination to art school and took a craftsman-like approach to his work seeking employment from other studios.

One of Rodin's most popular commissions was the melting pot of different figures that became the Gates of Hell. Rodin created this monumental sculpture which depicts scenes from Dante's Inferno.

SSD_8672Likely one of the most recognized works in all of sculpture, the Thinker, depicts "the contemplation of life's work and the misfortunes of mankind". Seated on the The Gates of Hell, the Thinker watches the scene of the Inferno, brooding in contemplation. His athletic body is rife with tension, suggesting a tough intellectual struggle.

SSD_8705During his lifetime, Rodin was compared to Michelangelo and was widely recognized as the greatest artist of the era. Today Rodin remains one of the few sculptors whose works continue to be internationally recognized.

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