The iconic sculpture of a brooding, nude man, known as “The Thinker,” is one of the most recognizable works by the renowned French artist Auguste Rodin. This captivating piece has mesmerized art enthusiasts for generations with its powerful portrayal of deep thought and contemplation.
From Dante’s Inferno to a Symbol of Introspection
“The Thinker” was initially titled “The Poet” and was conceived as part of a grand project: “The Gates of Hell.” This ambitious endeavor, commissioned in 1880, aimed to adorn the entrance of a planned museum of decorative arts in Paris with a pair of monumental bronze doors. Rodin drew inspiration from Dante’s “Inferno” from “The Divine Comedy,” creating a series of small clay figures representing the poem’s tormented characters. However, the museum was never built, and “The Gates of Hell” remained unfinished during Rodin’s lifetime.
A glimpse into Rodin’s original vision can be found in the plaster model exhibited at the Musée d’Orsay and in the doors created posthumously. In these versions, a smaller version of “The Poet” is prominently featured above the doors. The nude figure sits on a rock, his back bent forward, his brow furrowed, his chin resting on his hand, and his mouth pressed against his knuckles. He stares intently at the figures writhing in the depths of hell below, embodying a deep, pensive contemplation. Some scholars believe that “The Poet” was intended to represent Dante himself, but the sculpture’s muscular form contrasts with typical depictions of the poet, who is often portrayed as slender and graceful.
A Work Transformed and Enlarged
As the museum project fell through, Rodin continued to refine and reinterpret the figures from “The Gates of Hell,” showcasing some individually and incorporating others into new works. He eventually changed the name of “The Poet” to “The Thinker” and unveiled it independently in 1888. Rodin’s vision was to expand the scale of this powerful sculpture, and in the early 1900s, “The Thinker” was enlarged in bronze. Creating these larger versions was a meticulous process, with Rodin’s studio assistants, notably Henri Lebossé, using a specialized Collas machine to create exact replicas of different sizes. This intricate machinery, based on a pantograph system, resembled a lathe. The monumental “The Thinker” accentuated the unfinished surfaces that Rodin favored, particularly the sculpture’s closely cropped hair, which revealed the rough modeling of the original clay model.
A Monumental Legacy
Rodin presented “The Thinker” at the 1904 Salon, an annual exhibition of French art. The sculpture’s larger-than-life size and its separation from “The Gates of Hell” captivated audiences, drawing even greater attention than its smaller counterpart. The public’s admiration for “The Thinker” was so profound that the French government acquired the sculpture through a public petition, presenting it to the city of Paris in 1906. Initially placed outside the Panthéon, “The Thinker” was later moved to the gardens of the Rodin Museum in 1922, where it remains a timeless icon of contemplation.
Rodin was known for his belief in the widespread accessibility of art. Throughout his lifetime, he authorized numerous copies of his works, including “The Thinker,” in both marble and bronze. He also granted the Rodin Museum the right to create posthumous editions of his sculptures. As a result, many copies of “The Thinker” can be found around the world, including monumental versions in cities like San Francisco, Cleveland, Philadelphia, Buenos Aires, Moscow, and Tokyo. In a fitting tribute, a monumental “The Thinker” was placed over the graves of Rodin and his wife, Rose, at their home in Meudon, a suburb of Paris.
“The Thinker” embodies a universal human experience—the profound act of introspection, contemplation, and the search for understanding. This enduring sculpture continues to inspire awe and wonder in art lovers and viewers across the globe, cementing its place as one of the most significant and recognizable works of art in history.
