François-Auguste-René Rodin (1840 - 1917) struggled in his early years to be recognized as a promising sculptor.  He was rejected three times to enter the prestigious and conservative École des Beaux-Arts.  To support his family, Rodin began working commercially in the decorative arts in 1858. 

In 1870 Rodin accepted a job with Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, a fashionable commercial sculptor who had been commissioned to decorate the new stock exchange in Brussels, Belgium. Rodin’s six years there proved to be a creative and inspirational time  - he held his first exhibition, marking his debut as an independent sculptor.

It was after an inspiring trip to Italy in 1875 that Rodin started working on a large-scale statue intended for submission to the Paris Salon.  Titled The Vanquished, the life-size male nude of his model was created in naturalistic way, without the exaggerated muscular forms that Greek and Roman sculptors often used.  When The Vanquished was presented in Brussels, critics were suspicious of the statue's incredible realism.  They accused Rodin of making a cast from the live model, a technique that a true sculptor would never use.  He submitted the nude, now titled The Age of Bronze, to the Paris Salon of 1877.  It was praised for its beauty but Rodin had again to defend himself against allegations of casting from a live model.

Upon returning to Paris, Rodin created one of his most powerful figures - St John the Baptist.  Rodin made this figure larger than life-size but this time it was his uncommon portrayal of the saint as an unidealised nude figure that caused a stir among critics.  His contemporaries found it improper, ugly, and shocking.

Despite the criticism and controversy, Rodin was commissioned in 1880 by the French government to design his first large-scale public project - an entrance portal for a museum of decorative arts to be built in Paris.  Rodin's main source of inspiration for the doorway, soon to be called The Gates of Hell, was “The Divine Comedy” by epic poet Dante Aligheri.  Rodin borrowed imagery directly from “The Inferno”, one of the three parts of “The Divine Comedy”, and added his own unique visual representations to emulate Dante's journey through the underworld.  He also drew inspiration from Charles Baudelaire's “Les Fleurs du Mal” (The Flowers of Evil).

Several of his most famous independent sculptures, such as The Thinker, The Kiss and The Three Shades, were derived from smaller reliefs contained within The Gates of Hell.  Rodin exhibited many of these figures independently as freestanding sculptures.  By the end of the 1880's it was clear that the museum of decorative arts would never be built.

It was also during this period that Rodin met 19-year old Camille Claudel while teaching sculpture to a group of young women.  Rodin soon became captivated by Camille, who had noticeable talent and an intense desire to succeed as a sculptor.  Before long she became his student, model, collaborator, and mistress.  The Kiss, one of his most famous works, was among the many sculptures created with Camille serving as his inspiration.  

In 1884 Rodin took on another monumental project, commissioned by the mayor of Calais, to be erected in honor of a local hero, Eustache de Saint-Pierre.  Rodin studied the history surrounding the event and decided to show Eustache and the five men with him, taking their first steps toward the camp of Edward III.  Two years before its completion, the commissioners of the monument disbanded.  Rodin, however, finished the Burghers of Calais in 1888 and exhibited it in 1889.  The monument was not erected in Calais until 1895.  

By 1900 Rodin had achieved the pinnacle of success.  An entire pavilion at the Paris World Exposition was devoted to display 168 of his works in bronze, marble and plaster.  Drawings and photos also adorned the walls, and lectures were given explaining Rodin's techniques.

Rodin's incredible popularity did not slow his production.  Besides revisiting old figures and modeling portrait busts of well known people, he completed long-term projects like the Monument to Victor Hugo and a large scale version of The Thinker. He also took a great interest in the study of dancers, capturing them in natural, spontaneous movements.  

Rodin married his lifetime companion Rose Beuret on 29 January 1917. Rose died three weeks later and Rodin followed shortly, passing away on 17 November 1917.  Friends and dignitaries attended Rodin's funeral as he was laid to rest beside Rose at Meudon, with The Thinker at the base of his tomb.

In ARTICA, you can purchase reproductions from the Rodin Museum, Paris of Le Penseur - The Thinker;  Le Baiser - The Kiss;  Eternelle idole - Eternal Idol;  Eternel Printemps - Eternal Spring;  Etude pour le secret - Study for the Secret;  Mouvement de danse – Dance Movement;  Nijinski;  Petit torse féminin - Standing Torso;  and two paperweights of The Thinker and Venus.

Look out this autumn for an exhibition in Rodin Museum in Paris of two outstanding artists - Auguste Rodin and Henri Matisse.  The story of the encounters and relationships of these two major artists, born a generation apart, is one that has remained unexplored until now.