The creator of “The Thinker,” “The Burghers of Calais,” and “The Kiss” introduced new methods in depicting the human form. What exactly makes his images unique, and why did patrons often shy away from commissioning his sculptures?
Not Everything at Once
François-Auguste-René Rodin was born on November 12, 1840, to a civil servant in the French capital’s second marriage. Noticing his son’s interest in drawing from a young age (the boy was indifferent to other school subjects), his father enrolled the 14-year-old talent at the École Gratuite de Dessin, where future artists, decorators, restorers, jewelers, and other design professionals were trained. However, even after such preparation, Auguste was unable to continue his studies at the School of Fine Arts, where he unsuccessfully applied three times.
Auguste Rodin, photo from 1862
For much of his life, Rodin took lessons from renowned masters and honed his technique in etching and graphics, painting, and sculpture. He worked as an apprentice and decorator, a sculptor on public commissions, and even as a novice. By divine providence, a priest mentor convinced Auguste to return to art.
The Charm of Imperfection
In his first studio, a former stable, Rodin created a bust of a man with a distinctive face in 1864: a local peasant who posed for the sculptor, notable for his broken nose. Before it could be sent to the art gallery, the bust cracked in the cold, and Rodin had to replace it with a surviving mask. By making the unattractive face with scars, wrinkles, and cracks in the material the focus of his work, the sculptor challenged academic notions of aesthetics. Confused experts at the Paris Salon rejected the scandalous piece, and it wasn’t until a decade later, in 1875, that the marble version of “The Man with the Broken Nose” found appreciation among art lovers.
Auguste Rodin. “The Man with the Broken Nose”
The Right to a Name
After moving from France to Belgium, Rodin, who was discharged from the army due to poor eyesight during the Franco-Prussian War, became the author of many unnamed works in Brussels and Antwerp. To make a living, he created decorative sculptures for clients who mass-produced figurines for sale. One day, after signing one of his bronze figures without permission, Rodin lost his job.
Later, he arranged for joint sales, where the editions in Belgium were sold under the brand of a partner, while in France, they were sold under Rodin’s name. Eventually, the innovator streamlined the production of authorized copies (France only established a law limiting them to 12 copies in 1956), allowing museums and collectors in various countries to boast of his works.
“The Thinker,” 1888
A Rebel’s Handwriting
Rodin gained fame as a “rebel” with a controversial approach to conservative rules in sculpture. He never considered himself a follower of any particular artistic movement, balancing between realism, romanticism, impressionism, and symbolism. Rodin’s “handwriting” was characterized by the symbolism of his images, the timelessness of his subjects, and the unfinished quality of his work. He did not regard his sculptures as completed objects; he believed that the idea and form could evolve alongside the sculptor. Sometimes, he would refine and rework his creations, also presenting sketches and unfinished versions to the audience.
Receiving his first state commission at the age of 40, he did not cling to lucrative collaborations, working by his own rules, often disregarding deadlines, and even returning advance payments. Public and private patrons occasionally reciprocated the artist’s approach by terminating contracts and rejecting his works.
Biron Palace — Rodin Museum
Nothing Stagnant
Rodin’s figures “emerged” from the stone, embodying the birth of form from an amorphous substance: his sculptures were not static objects but the epicenter of mass movement. The illusion of movement was achieved by the sculptor even at the cost of ignoring the rules of contrapposto (the shifting of weight) and anatomical accuracy. Rodin fundamentally refused to hire professional models who posed in traditional stances of classical sculpture. He preferred to work with moving models from ordinary people: they simply walked around the studio while the artist sketched or made plastic studies.
Auguste Rodin’s sculpture “The Burghers of Calais”
According to Rodin, his works were created to be perceived “through tears of emotion.” A distinctive feature of these sculptures is their emotional depth. The heroes of the French sculptor convincingly convey a rich spectrum of human states: pain and hatred, despair and love…
Love and More
Not less emotionally charged than his work was the sculptor’s personal life. Since 1864, he lived with seamstress Rose Beuret (1844-1917). At 22, the attractive companion, with the appearance of a peasant girl, gave birth to Rodin’s son. However, young Auguste did not receive his father’s surname. Rodin formalized his marriage to the mother only late in life – on January 19, 1917. His seriously ill wife passed away just 25 days after their wedding. And on November 17, a swift bout of pneumonia took the life of Auguste Rodin.
Camille Claudel (1864—1943)
Rose Beuret was by the sculptor’s side throughout his life, although he never hid his affairs with other women. In addition to numerous relationships with models and students, Rodin claimed to have “spent seven years with a wicked genius,” the Marchioness de Choisel (later a duchess), an American of French descent who was “deaf” to art, taste, and fashion. He also had a nine-year intimate relationship with his assistant, Camille Claudel. The lover’s relatives accused the sculptor of driving the talented artist to a psychiatric hospital, where she was admitted in 1913 and died there 30 years later.
In the later years of his life, Rodin was surrounded by various mistresses, known even to the French government. He settled accounts with his companions using his own works. Since a year before his death, Rodin bequeathed his artistic legacy to the state, the Minister of Commerce personally organized the protection of his estate from being looted by visitors.