The Thinker
Artist: Auguste Rodin
Year Composed: 1880
Artistic Movement: Impressionism
Nationality: France
Floor Found in Château: First Garden
Year Composed: 1880
Artistic Movement: Impressionism
Nationality: France
Floor Found in Château: First Garden
About the Artwork
As one of Auguste Rodin's most recognizable sculptures, The Thinker has been used to represent being deep in thought as well as used to represent the ideas of philosophy. In actuality, The Thinker, alike many of his sculptures, was part of Rodin's The Gates of Hell, a large doorway based on The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The Thinker was originally called The Poet, based off of Dante's guide through the Underworld: Virgil. The style of The Thinker is different than most of his other sculptures, as Rodin wanted this iconic figure to be comparable to the aesthetic and technique of Michelangelo Buonarroti.
About the Artist
François Auguste René Rodin, better known as Auguste Rodin, is known as one of the most famous French sculptors of all time. Most of his works contain themes of mythology, allegory, and nature, highlighting the human figure and body. The emotional appeal and contorting drama meshes the intricacy of Neoclassical sculptures with the drama and emotion of the Baroque. Rodin is one of the few sculptors known outside of the art world with modern society, especially with his sculptures that include The Shade (1881), The Kiss (1882), The Thinker (1880), and The Burghers of Calais (1889).
About the Movement
The Thinker was composed in the Impressionist Age of art. Impressionism was characterized by extremely loose brushstrokes that were visible throughout the entire painting. This 19th-Century (or 1800s) art movement took landscapes, figures, and objects and incorporated both movement and emotion. Impressionism, in a matter of style, was almost the blending between Cubism and Baroque art; that dramatic and emotional appeal of the Baroque mixed with the inclusion of motion and the passing of time of Cubism. Some of the most famous Impressionist artists included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Edgar Degas.
Location of Original Work of Art: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., United States of America
As one of Auguste Rodin's most recognizable sculptures, The Thinker has been used to represent being deep in thought as well as used to represent the ideas of philosophy. In actuality, The Thinker, alike many of his sculptures, was part of Rodin's The Gates of Hell, a large doorway based on The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. The Thinker was originally called The Poet, based off of Dante's guide through the Underworld: Virgil. The style of The Thinker is different than most of his other sculptures, as Rodin wanted this iconic figure to be comparable to the aesthetic and technique of Michelangelo Buonarroti.
About the Artist
François Auguste René Rodin, better known as Auguste Rodin, is known as one of the most famous French sculptors of all time. Most of his works contain themes of mythology, allegory, and nature, highlighting the human figure and body. The emotional appeal and contorting drama meshes the intricacy of Neoclassical sculptures with the drama and emotion of the Baroque. Rodin is one of the few sculptors known outside of the art world with modern society, especially with his sculptures that include The Shade (1881), The Kiss (1882), The Thinker (1880), and The Burghers of Calais (1889).
About the Movement
The Thinker was composed in the Impressionist Age of art. Impressionism was characterized by extremely loose brushstrokes that were visible throughout the entire painting. This 19th-Century (or 1800s) art movement took landscapes, figures, and objects and incorporated both movement and emotion. Impressionism, in a matter of style, was almost the blending between Cubism and Baroque art; that dramatic and emotional appeal of the Baroque mixed with the inclusion of motion and the passing of time of Cubism. Some of the most famous Impressionist artists included Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Edgar Degas.
Location of Original Work of Art: National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C., United States of America