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)
There is no such thing as an ugly subject. There is only an ugly artist.
The true artist is he who can express the invisible.
The human body is the most beautiful landscape.
Art is contemplation. It is the pleasure of the mind which searches into nature and which there discovers the spirit with which nature herself is animated.
To the artist, there is no such thing as ugly in nature.
The sculptor must have a profound knowledge of anatomy, but he must forget it when he works.
The artist must be a mirror of his time, but a mirror that reflects the future.
The secret of my art is that I have never been afraid of truth.
The artist's mission is to penetrate the mystery of things and to reveal it to others.
Art is nothing but a means of feeling, of seeing, of expressing.
The artist must be a lover of life, a lover of humanity, a lover of nature.
The great artist is he who can make the stone live.
The artist must be a poet, a philosopher, a dreamer, a man of action.
The most beautiful works of art are those that express the most profound emotions.
The artist must be a perpetual student, always learning, always growing.
The true artist is he who can see the divine in the human.
The artist must be a solitary being, but also a man of the world.
The artist must be a master of his craft, but also a free spirit.
The artist must be a lover of truth, a lover of beauty, a lover of life.
The artist must be a creator, not an imitator.
Contemporaries of Auguste Rodin
Other Visual Artss born within 50 years of Auguste Rodin (1840–1917).