August Rodin The Thinker Essay
Title: “The Thinker”
Artist: August Rodin
Source: Rodin, A. (1902). The thinker [Bronze and marble sculpture]. Paris, France: Musée Rodin.
The “The Thinker” is a bronze sculpture by August Rodin which is placed on a stone pedestal. The work shows a nude male figure sitting on a rock with its chin resting on one hand as though he was deep in thought. The sculpture was originally made as an entranceway for the proposed Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. The thinker is at its current location the Musee Rodin because it was transferred there after his death (Chang, Hegmann, Hasel & Chang, 2014). The sculpture can also be found all over the world because it serves as a great inspiration to other artists. The sculpture was conceived during the …show more content…
The sculpture was a being with a tortured body, a troubled soul and a free-thinking man who transcended his suffering through poetry. A more profound meaning has been provided to explain what the sculpture represents; the chin rests on the right arm which then rests on the left thigh. This position is seen to represent the union of duality. The nakedness of the sculpture has been seen to represent openness or truth (Takano & Sands, 2016). The sculpture therefore presents Dante as a poet who represented the truth.
The placement of “The Thinker” was funded by a commission that proposed the establishment of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. The funding was provided for a bigger piece “the gates of hell” which the sculpture was a part of. The sculpture of the Thinker has been casted in different versions and is still found in different locations across the world. The history of the casting is usually complex and is not clear. Close to 28 bronze casts of the sculpture are located in museums and public locations. Moreover, the sculptures are different size levels and versions in both monumental sizes. Rodin design the first plaster version in 1880 and the large scale bronze cast was later completed in
Artist: August Rodin
Source: Rodin, A. (1902). The thinker [Bronze and marble sculpture]. Paris, France: Musée Rodin.
The “The Thinker” is a bronze sculpture by August Rodin which is placed on a stone pedestal. The work shows a nude male figure sitting on a rock with its chin resting on one hand as though he was deep in thought. The sculpture was originally made as an entranceway for the proposed Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. The thinker is at its current location the Musee Rodin because it was transferred there after his death (Chang, Hegmann, Hasel & Chang, 2014). The sculpture can also be found all over the world because it serves as a great inspiration to other artists. The sculpture was conceived during the …show more content…
The sculpture was a being with a tortured body, a troubled soul and a free-thinking man who transcended his suffering through poetry. A more profound meaning has been provided to explain what the sculpture represents; the chin rests on the right arm which then rests on the left thigh. This position is seen to represent the union of duality. The nakedness of the sculpture has been seen to represent openness or truth (Takano & Sands, 2016). The sculpture therefore presents Dante as a poet who represented the truth.
The placement of “The Thinker” was funded by a commission that proposed the establishment of the Musee des Arts Decoratifs. The funding was provided for a bigger piece “the gates of hell” which the sculpture was a part of. The sculpture of the Thinker has been casted in different versions and is still found in different locations across the world. The history of the casting is usually complex and is not clear. Close to 28 bronze casts of the sculpture are located in museums and public locations. Moreover, the sculptures are different size levels and versions in both monumental sizes. Rodin design the first plaster version in 1880 and the large scale bronze cast was later completed in