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)
The artist must be a seeker of truth, a lover of beauty, a worshipper of the divine.
Death is a transition, a passage from one state of being to another.
Consciousness is the light that illuminates the darkness of existence.
The meaning of life is not to be found in external things, but in the depths of our own being.
Beauty is a reflection of the divine, a glimpse of the eternal.
The human condition is a paradox, a blend of strength and weakness, of wisdom and folly.
The spiritual life is a journey inward, a quest for self-discovery.
Life is a precious gift, to be cherished and celebrated.
The artist must be a witness to the human experience, a chronicler of the soul.
Truth is a beacon, guiding us through the darkness of ignorance.
The human form is a symphony, a harmony of curves and lines, of light and shadow.
The artist must be a seer, not a copyist.
Beauty is everywhere. It is not beauty that is lacking to our eyes, but our eyes which are lacking to recognize it.
The artist who is not a master of his craft is like a bird without wings.
The sculptor must learn to see the human body as a landscape, with its mountains and valleys, its plains and rivers.
The true artist is not afraid of ugliness, for he knows that even in ugliness there is beauty to be found.
The most beautiful works of art are those that express the deepest emotions.
The public is always wrong.
The artist should not be afraid to shock, to disturb, to provoke.
There is no such thing as an ugly woman; there are only women who do not know how to make themselves beautiful.
Contemporaries of Auguste Rodin
Other Visual Artss born within 50 years of Auguste Rodin (1840–1917).