Auguste Rodin

Visual Arts French 1840 – 1917 358 quotes

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)

The artist must be a prophet, a seer, a visionary.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

Life is a tragedy, but it is also a comedy. It is a dance between joy and sorrow.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The human condition is a constant struggle between light and darkness, between good and evil.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The artist must be a lover of truth, a seeker of beauty.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

Death is not the end, but a new beginning.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The soul is immortal, it never dies.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The artist must be a bridge between the visible and the invisible world.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but truth is in the heart of the artist.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The human spirit is indomitable, it can overcome any obstacle.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

Art is a prayer, a meditation, a communion with the divine.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

To live is to suffer, to survive is to find some meaning in the suffering.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The artist must be a rebel, a revolutionary, a visionary.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The true artist does not copy nature, but interprets it.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The human body is a landscape, a landscape of emotions, of desires, of dreams.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The artist is a magician, transforming the ordinary into the extraordinary.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

Beauty is a fleeting moment, but art is eternal.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The soul is a flame, burning brightly in the darkness.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

Life is a journey, a journey of discovery, of growth, of transformation.

Rodin: The Man and His Art

The human heart is a mystery, a mystery that art can help us to unravel.

Rodin: The Man and His Art