Auguste Rodin
Father of modern sculpture, The Thinker
Most quoted
"The artist must be a seer, a visionary, a poet, a dreamer, a philosopher, a scientist, a craftsman, a worker, a man of the world, a man of solitude, a man of action, a man of contemplation, a man of passion, a man of reason, a man of faith, a man of doubt, a man of joy, a man of sorrow, a man of life, a man of death."
— from Various writings
"The artist is the confidant of nature, flowers carry on dialogues with him through the graceful bending of their stems and the harmoniously tinted nuances of their blossoms. Every flower has a cordial word which nature directs towards him."
— from Art, 1911
"It is a mistake to think that the art of the Greeks depended on the beauty of the human form. What they sought was the expression of the soul, and this is to be found in the ugliness of a Silenus as well as in the beauty of a Bacchus."
— from Art, 1911
All quotes by Auguste Rodin (358)
Patience is also a form of action.
The human body is first and foremost a manifestation of life.
Art is the contestation of the possible.
To the artist, there is never anything ugly in nature.
Sculpture is the art of the hole and the lump.
The main thing is to be moved, to love, to hope, to tremble, to live.
I invent nothing; I rediscover.
True artists are almost the only people who do their work for pleasure.
The artist must create a spark before he can make a fire and before art is born, the artist must be ready to be consumed by the fire of his own creation.
Man's naked form belongs to no particular moment in history; it is eternal, and can be looked upon with joy by the people of all ages.
I choose a block of marble and chop off whatever I don't need.
Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.
The more simple we are, the more complete we become.
Art is contemplation. It is the pleasure of the mind which searches into nature and which there divines the spirit of which nature herself is animated.
Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.
The artist is the hand that plays, touching one key or another, to cause hearts to open.
Sculpture is the study of the surface of things.
To any artist, worthy of the name, all in nature is beautiful.
The form of an object lies in its tensions.
I am like a moon that shines on an immense, unknown sea where ships never pass.
Contemporaries of Auguste Rodin
Other Visual Artss born within 50 years of Auguste Rodin (1840–1917).