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 visionary, a prophet, a seer.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of passion, a man of emotion, a man of feeling.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of courage, a man of conviction, a man of faith.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of humility, a man of modesty, a man of simplicity.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of integrity, a man of honesty, a man of sincerity.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of generosity, a man of compassion, a man of love.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of wisdom, a man of understanding, a man of knowledge.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of patience, a man of perseverance, a man of endurance.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of discipline, a man of rigor, a man of order.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of grace, a man of elegance, a man of refinement.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of joy, a man of happiness, a man of delight.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of sorrow, a man of sadness, a man of pain.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of life, a man of death, a man of eternity.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of the past, a man of the present, a man of the future.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of the earth, a man of the sky, a man of the universe.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of silence, a man of sound, a man of music.

Various writings

The artist must be a man of light, a man of shadow, a man of color.

Various writings

I am a worker, and I love my work. I have no other ambition than to be a good sculptor.

Letter to an unknown recipient

The artist must be a poet, a philosopher, a scientist, and a craftsman.

Private writings

Art is nothing but feeling. But without the science of volumes, of proportions, of colors, without the skill of the hand, the most vivid feeling is paralyzed.

Private writings