Catalogue du Musée Rodin

1927

Brasch NB553 R6 A4 1927

Paris: Musée Rodin

François Auguste René Rodin (1840-1917), began drawing at an early age. After three failed attempts to gain entry to École des Beaux Arts in Paris, he worked as an architectural ornament sculptor but continued to produce his own artworks. Rodin’s style eschewed the more idealised, neo-classical portrayal of the human form for a more naturalistic approach, something that did not initially endear him or his artwork to the ‘establishment’. Despite this, and accusations of surmoulage – a form of plagiarism – Rodin cemented his reputation as an artist of renown by 1900. He worked in plaster, bronze, clay, marble, and on paper; his most famous works are ‘The Kiss – Le Baiser’ (marble; 1889) and ‘The Thinker – Le Penseur’ (bronze; 1904) both housed in the Musée Rodin which is still open in Paris today.