Auguste Rodin, born in 1840, was a French sculptor. He is considered by many to be the greatest sculptor of portraits in the history of sculpture.
Rodin grew up in a poor family. He had an interest in drawing from a young age and enrolled in a drawing school at age 13. In his late teens, he attempted to enter the École des Beaux-Arts but failed the entrance exams three times. At 18 he began working as a decorative stone worker to support himself. He held this position for the next 17 years, but the strict restrictions put on decorative stonework stifled his own creative expression.
This all changed when he visited Italy in 1875. Not long after his visit he molded his very first original bronze, The Vanquished. It was his first piece that was accepted at an exhibition and it was so realistic that people believed he had used a living person to cast his mold.
At the age of 35, Rodin was comparatively late to develop his own personal style. Once he had, however, commissions started coming in for him to create designs and statues around Europe. By age 40, Rodin had a firm reputation as a master of his craft.
Rodin was a pioneer for techniques that laid the tracks for sculptors of the modern age. Tradition inspired him greatly, yet he had no interest in repeating the past. This can be seen in his love for partial figures and his affinity for leaving evidence of the sculpting process visible in the final piece. These practices were unheard of at the time, yet today, they are common practice.
The piece that Rodin is most known for is a large bronze door for the Museum of Decorative Arts. Ironically, the piece remained unfinished until his death in 1917.
1. Man With A Broken Nose
Man with the Broken Nose is a sculpture by Auguste Rodin created in 1864 in Impressionism style.
2. Young Girl
‘Young Girl with Roses on Her Hat’ was created in 1870 by Auguste Rodin in Impressionism style.
3. Age Of Bronze
‘The Age of Bronze’ is a bronze statue by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin in the year c.1870 in Impressionism style.
4. Bellona
‘Bellona’ is one of the artworks by Auguste Rodin created in 1878 in Impressionism style.
5. I Am Beautiful
‘I am beautiful’, also known as The Abduction, is an 1882 sculpture by French artist Auguste Rodin made in Impressionism style.
6. The Shade
‘The Shade’ was created in 1880 by Auguste Rodin in Impressionism style.
7. The Call To Arms
‘The Call to Arms’ was created by Auguste Rodin in the year 1879 in Impressionism style.
8. Ugolino
‘Ugolino’ was produced in the year 1882 by Auguste Rodin in Impressionism style.
9. The Thinker
‘The Thinker’ is a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, usually placed on a stone pedestal and made in the year 1880 in Impressionism style.
10. Mme Vicuna
‘Mme Vicuna’ was created in 1884 by Auguste Rodin in Impressionism style.
11. The Three Shades
The Three Shades is a sculptural group produced in plaster by Auguste Rodin in 1886.
12. The Sinner
‘The Sinner’ was created in 1888 by Auguste Rodin in Impressionism style.
13. Eternal Idol
The Eternal Idol is a sculpture made by Augustine Rodin, who created it in 1889 and redone it in 1891 as a bronze cast.
14. The Burghers Of Calais
‘The Burghers of Calais’ by Auguste Rodin is one of his most famous sculptures. He made it in the year 1889.
15. The Prodigal Son
‘The Prodigal Son’ is a sculpture by Auguste Rodin produced in the year 1889 in Impressionism style.
16. Balzac Nude With His Arms Crossed
‘Balzac Nude with his Arms Crossed’ was created in 1892 by Auguste Rodin in Impressionism style.
17. Danaid
‘Danaid’ is a sculpture created by Auguste Rodin in the year 1889 in Impressionism style.
18. The Hand Of God
‘The Hand of God’ was modeled by Auguste Rodin in the year 1898 in Impressionism style.
19. Balzac
‘Balzac’ was sculpted by Auguste Rodin in the year 1897 in Impressionism style.
20. Three Views Of a Mask
‘Three views of a mask’ was created in 1898 by Auguste Rodin in Impressionism style.
21. Eternal Spring
Eternal Springtime is a c.1884 sculpture by the French artist Auguste Rodin, depicting a pair of lovers.
22. Cupid And Psyche
‘Cupid and Psyche’ was created in 1905 by Auguste Rodin in Impressionism style.
23. The Kiss
‘The Kiss’ is an 1882 marble sculpture by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin.
24. Eve Fairfax
‘Eve Fairfax’ was created in 1905 by Auguste Rodin in Impressionism style.
25. Poet And Muse
‘Poet And Muse’ is one of the artworks by Auguste Rodin created in the year 1905, in Impressionism style.