Rodin – the famous sculptor

This is Rodin's work – The Thinker.  Rodin was a French sculptor (1840-1917).  He was born and mostly stayed in Paris.  His first name is François-Auguste-René– what were his parents thinking!  Unsurprisingly he was known simply as Auguste.

Rodin trained as a sculptor but then took religious orders for a while until his superior recognised his talent and encouraged him to leave the order to pursue sculpting.  You have to love his moustache in this picture!  It took almost to the end of his life for his work to become world famous – he was not an overnight success.

His works are considered to be impressionistic.  He didn't cast the sculptures himself.  He did a detailed model and then got master craftsmen to cast them.  The picture is of another famous work, The Kiss.

Under French law there can only be 12 casts of any one Rodin sculpture.  This is why you find this sculpture The Burghers of Calais in Calais and also in London.  The figures in this sculpture are very big – about 6 and a half feet tall and the whole thing weighs about 2 tons (just under 2 metric tonnes)

There is a museum devoted to him in Paris – the Museé Rodin.  It would be great to have a chance to visit it.