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)
Art is the most sublime form of expression.
I am eternally grateful for the gift of creation.
The sculptor must breathe life into inert matter.
The artist must create a living thing.
Art is nothing but feeling.
The sculptor must learn to see.
I invent nothing, I rediscover.
The artist is the confidant of nature, not its rival.
Beauty is everywhere. It is not beauty that is lacking to our eyes, but our eyes which are lacking to beauty.
Work! Work with your hands, with your mind, with your heart.
The artist must have a profound respect for truth.
The body is the only garment that is always in fashion.
There is no such thing as a beautiful line or a beautiful form. There is only expression.
The artist must be a poet, a philosopher, a scientist.
To be an artist, one must first be a man.
The true artist is a man who can see what others cannot.
The work of art must be a window into the soul.
The sculptor must think in volumes.
Art is a religion.
The artist must be humble before nature.
Contemporaries of Auguste Rodin
Other Visual Artss born within 50 years of Auguste Rodin (1840–1917).