Auguste Rodin’s The Thinker: Symbolism and Context
The Thinker (Le Penseur) by Auguste Rodin, created between 1880 and 1900, stands as an iconic sculpture of French Impressionism.
Technical Elements
This bronze sculpture, cast at the Rodin Museum foundry in Paris, showcases Rodin’s unique technique. He intentionally left the mold for the base unfinished, creating a rough texture that emphasizes the manual process. This roughness adds strength and power to the sculpture’s form.
- Material: Bronze
- Location: Rodin Museum, Paris
- Style: Impressionism
Formal Elements
- Multifaceted Viewpoint: The sculpture offers multiple perspectives.
- Tension and Vigour: The closed forms suggest inner tension and vigorous spiritual life.
- Diagonal Composition: The figure follows a diagonal line from head to legs and arms.
- Twisting Body: The pose, with the right elbow resting on the left foot, encourages the viewer to move around the statue.
The Thinker has become a symbol of modernity, embodying the complexity and intensity of human emotions.
Influences
Rodin was significantly influenced by Michelangelo, particularly after his trip to Italy in 1875. He borrowed the terribilità (spiritual grandeur) and drew inspiration from the attitudes and postures of Renaissance art. The project for The Gates of Hell recalls Michelangelo’s Last Judgement in its arrangement of figures.
Related Works
Other Works by Rodin:
- The Kiss (Le Baiser): Originally part of The Gates of Hell, this group depicts the tragic love story of Paolo and Francesca from Dante’s Divine Comedy. Rodin emphasizes undulating surfaces and sensuality, reminiscent of Bernini.
- The Burghers of Calais (Les Bourgeois de Calais): A monument commemorating an event during the Hundred Years’ War.
Meaning and Function
The Thinker was initially conceived as the centerpiece of The Gates of Hell, commissioned by the French government in 1880 for a new Museum of Decorative Arts. Although the museum was never built, Rodin continued to work on The Gates of Hell.
The sculpture represents a man in deep thought, his mental activity reflected in the physical tension of his body. He embodies the ability to contemplate the world. Some interpret him as Dante, observing the inferno below, or even Rodin himself, symbolizing the act of thinking.
Historical and Artistic Context
The Third French Republic, led by the liberal bourgeoisie, emerged after the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and the Paris Commune. This class, enriched by the Industrial Revolution, valued independence, sincerity, and individualism.
Rodin embraced these ideas, developing a new artistic language that broke with traditional academic styles. He began with realism, then explored Impressionism and Symbolism, ultimately forging his own path in sculpture.