The Thinker by Auguste Rodin. One Damned Soul Looking at The Gates of Hell

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin

The Thinker by Auguste Rodin. The sculpture was part of a commission from the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris to create a monumental main door, called The Gates of Hell, based on Dante’s Divine Comedy. Thus, each of the statues would represent one of the main characters of the allegorical poem.

The Thinker represents Dante looking at The Gates of Hell. Then, The Thinker was initially both a being with a tortured body, almost a damned soul, and a free-thinking man, determined to transcend his suffering through poetry.

Museum of Rodin in Paris

Auguste Rodin made a first model in plaster in 1880. The first large-scale sculpture was completed in 1902 though it was not showing to the public until 1904. In fact, there are more than twenty versions of the sculpture in museums around the world, including the one now in the gardens of the Musée Rodin, a gift to the City of Paris installed outside the Panthéon in 1906, and another in the gardens of Rodin’s house in Meudon, on the tomb of the sculptor and his wife. The Thinker is cast in bronze.

The Rodin Museum is in the seventh arrondissement of Paris. It opened in 1919 in the old Hôtel Biron, where Auguste Rodin lived. It’s a jewel of Parisian rocaille architecture, with its park that covers nearly three hectares, adding to its immense attraction and explaining the museum’s very high attendance. In total, it welcomes over 700,000 visitors every year.

Maybe you also like this post: Auguste Rodin and his most beautiful sculptures. ‘The Kiss’ is the rebellion of love.

“Man’s naked form belongs to no particular moment in history; it is eternal, and can be looked upon with joy by the people of all ages.” Auguste Rodin.

Enjoy your day, Yareah friends. Art is everywhere and up to you!