Rodin, Auguste (1840-1917)
Le Penseur (The Thinker)
1903
Bronze, 189 x 98 x 140 cm
Musée Rodin, Paris
Created in 1880 in its original size, approximately 70 cm, to adorn the tympanum of The Gates of Hell, The Thinker was then titled The Poet: it depicted Dante, the author of The Divine Comedy that inspired The Gates, leaning forward to observe the circles of Hell while meditating on his work. The Thinker was thus initially both a being with a tortured body, almost a damned soul, and a man with a free spirit, determined to transcend his suffering through poetry. For its pose, this figure owes much to Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux’s Ugolino (1861, Musée d’Orsay, Paris) and to Michelangelo‘s seated portrait of Lorenzo de’ Medici (1526–1531, Medici Chapel, Church of San Lorenzo, Florence).
While retaining its place within the monumental ensemble of La Porte, The Thinker was exhibited separately from 1888 onwards and thus became an autonomous work. Enlarged in 1904, it took on a monumental dimension which further increased its popularity: this image of a man immersed in his reflections, but whose powerful body suggests a great capacity for action, has become one of the most famous sculptures in existence. (Musée Rodin)
See also:
• Alighieri, Dante (1265-1321) | Medici, Lorenzo I de’ (1449-1492) | Michelangelo (1475-1564)