François Auguste René Rodin was a French sculptor generally considered the founder of modern sculpture. He was schooled traditionally and took a craftsman-like approach to his work. Rodin possessed a unique ability to model a complex, turbulent, and deeply pocketed surface in clay. He is known for such sculptures as The Thinker, Monument to Balzac, The Kiss, The Burghers of Calais, and The Gates of Hell.
1902 photograph
Rodin c. 1862
Auguste Rodin, John Singer Sargent, 1884
Rodin, c. 1875–80
The Thinker is a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, situated atop a stone pedestal. The work depicts a nude male figure of heroic size sitting on a rock. He is seen leaning over, his right elbow placed on his left thigh, holding the weight of his chin on the back of his right hand. The pose is one of deep thought and contemplation, and the statue is often used as an image to represent philosophy.
Le Penseur (1904) in the Musée Rodin in Paris
The Thinker in The Gates of Hell at the Musée Rodin
Rodin's model, the boxer Jean Baud
A cast of The Thinker at Columbia University