Who is The Thinker?

sculpture
In this new image of man, form and meaning are one.

Auguste Rodin was the first sculptor of genius since Bernini. He was born in 1840 and died in 1917.

When he was 39, he was entrusted with the major task of designing the architectural sculpture for the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris.

He decided to create an ensemble called The Gates of Hell based on Dante's Inferno. It was never finished.

However, his most famous piece called The Thinker, was made at this time. The figure you see here sits in brooding contemplation of the misery below him.

But Who is The Thinker, and why did Rodin use that figure?


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