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Quick Facts
- NAME: Auguste Rodin
- OCCUPATION: Sculptor
- BIRTH DATE: November 12, 1840
- DEATH DATE: November 17, 1917
- EDUCATION: Petite École, École des Beaux-Arts
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Paris, France
- PLACE OF DEATH: Meudon, France
- Full Name: François-Auguste-René Rodin
- AKA: François Auguste René Rodin
- AKA: François Rodin
- AKA: Rodin
- AKA: Auguste Rodin
Best Known For
French sculptor Auguste Rodin is known for creating several iconic works, including "The Age of Bronze," "The Thinker," "The Kiss" and "The Burghers of Calais."
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Play NowAuguste Rodin. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 07:15, May 18, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/auguste-rodin-9461735.
Auguste Rodin. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/auguste-rodin-9461735 [Accessed 18 May 2013].
"Auguste Rodin." 2013. The Biography Channel website. May 18 2013, 07:15 http://www.biography.com/people/auguste-rodin-9461735.
"Auguste Rodin," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/auguste-rodin-9461735 [accessed May 18, 2013].
"Auguste Rodin," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/auguste-rodin-9461735 (accessed May 18, 2013).
Auguste Rodin [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 May 18] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/auguste-rodin-9461735.
Auguste Rodin, http://www.biography.com/people/auguste-rodin-9461735 (last visited May 18, 2013).
Auguste Rodin. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/auguste-rodin-9461735. Accessed May 18, 2013.
Synopsis
Auguste Rodin, born in Paris on November 12, 1840, was a famous sculptor known for creating "The Age of Bronze," "The Gates of Hell" and "The Burghers of Calais," among several other works. Unlike many famous artists, Rodin didn't establish his distinct artistic style or a credible list of works until he was in his 40s. Despite becoming a talented artist by his late teens,
Quotes
"Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely."
"To the artist, there is never anything ugly in nature."
"Sculpture is the art of the hole and the lump."
several years without validation or encouragement caused Rodin enter a different career. He worked as a decorative bricklayer for nearly two decades, from the late 1850s to late 1870s, when a trip to Italy provided inspiration. Soon after returning to Paris, he sculpted his first piece, "The Vanquished" (renamed "The Age of Bronze"), which was exhibited in 1878. Among Rodin's most famous works is "The Gates of Hell," a monument of various sculpted figures, including "The Thinker" (1880) and "The Kiss" (1886). Rodin didn't live to finish the intricate piece; he died on November 17, 1917, in Meudon, France.
Early Life
World-renowned sculptor Auguste Rodin was born François-Auguste-René Rodin on November 12, 1840, in Paris, France, to father Jean-Baptiste Rodin and mother Marie Cheffer. He had one sibling, a sister two years his senior, Maria.
Due to poor vision, Rodin was greatly distressed at a young age. Attending the Petite École, he was unable to see figures drawn on the blackboard and, subsequently, struggled to follow complicated lessons written on the blackboard, usually in his math and science courses. Unaware of his imperfect eyesight, a dejected Rodin found comfort in drawing pictures—an activity that allowed Rodin to see his progress as he practiced, as well as clearly see the drawing paper in front of him (he was nearsighted). Soon, Rodin was drawing frequently, wherever he could, and whatever he saw or imagined.
By age 13, Rodin had developed obvious skills as an artist, and soon began taking formal art courses. While completing his studies, however, the aspiring young artist began to doubt himself, receiving little validation or encouragement from his instructors and fellow students. Four years later, at age 17, Rodin applied to attend the École des Beaux-Arts, a prestigious art school in Paris. He was gravely disappointed when the school denied him admission, and deeply saddened when his application was rejected twice thereafter.
Dejected and desperate to earn a living, in the late 1850s, Rodin began working as a decorative bricklayer.
Famous Sculptures
After working as a bricklayer for nearly two decades, in the late 1870s, Rodin made a bold decision to embark once again on an artistic career. A fateful trip to Italy had stirred Rodin's inner-artist, enlightening him to new kinds of art and career possibilities; he returned to Paris inspired to design and create, specifically to sculpt.
Rodin soon completed his first piece, "The Vanquished" (later renamed "The Age of Bronze"), a sculpture of a nude man clenching his both of his fists, with his right hand hanging over his head.
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