The Thinker

In August 1880, Auguste Rodin, an average French sculptor, received the commission for a set of portals for the new Musee des Arts Decoratifs (Peter and Janson 334). Rodin was clear that this project was a great opportunity for him to show his skills but also a risk that would affect his career deeply. He chose Dante’s Inferno for his theme. Quickly he realized that there would be one figure in the middle of the mortals to serve as special focus. Eventually, Dante, the poet, was the best to fit the need.

The Thinker is a bronze and marble sculpture by French sculptor Rodin in 1902. It is a simple scene: a naked man, seated on a rock, his fist against his teeth, he dreams. In first glance, the scale of the figure is accurate. His pose and movement look very natural. Dante’s eyesight is fixed at something, or he is gazing at something. The physical change of face is also clearly depicted, and the body and muscle movement is also very realistic. In some degree, Dante’s pose recalls to a degree that of Michelangelo’s Thinker; Rodin was inspired by Michelangelo’s works (334).

The Thinker is depicted as a man in sober meditation battling with a powerful internal struggle (334). The unique pose with hand to the chin, right elbow to the left knee, and crouching position fills the sculpture with a contemplative feel (335). There is a special reason for its fame: when you are facing it, you will calm yourself down automatically. Very soon, you will feel the quietness and contemporary solitude, as you will start pondering deeply with Dante. This is the golden point of this sculpture – it will make you think and feel like Dante. In this sculpture, Rodin brought romantic sensibility to the tradition of Michelangelo, creating it of vibrant power and strong emotional impact (335). By making this sculpture, Rodin led a group of artists who formed a bridge between the Romanticism of the 19^th century and Modernism of the 20^th. 

Fusco, Peter, and H. W. Janson. The Romantics to Rodin: French Nineteenth-century Sculpture from North American Collections. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 1980. Print.