Rodin is a legendary sculptor who created some magnificent sculptures that made him popular across the world. He succeeded in portraying human body with all its glory and character through his sculptures which gave him the title of father of modern sculpture.
You can enjoy the works of this blessed artist at the Rodin Museum of Paris. This museum is home to most of his famous works including his sculptures, drawings and some other works. Rodin museum tour will give you a wonderful experience, where you get to enjoy some realistic works of Rodin which are a depiction of the Impressionism movement that influenced the history of art significantly.
Even though everyone knows Rodin, most people are unaware of his life story. It is better to have an idea about the life of this great legend before your Rodin museum tour, as it will help you to take in the beauty of his sculptures to the fullest.
Early years of Rodin’s life
Rodin was born into a working-class family in Paris in the year 1840. He was not able to succeed academically because of his short sight and shy nature. Rodin self-taught drawing from the age of ten. He attended the École Impériale de Dessin between the ages of 14 to 17 where he started his experimentation with drawing and clay modeling. He got rejected by the most prestigious and renowned art school of France, École des Beaux-Arts, three times.
A job he got in a commercial art workshop helped him to improve skills in sculpting. He exhibited his work “Man with a Broken Nose” at the Paris Salon in 1863. After that, he worked in Brussels and made his first masterpiece, The Age of Bronze, which gave him the attention of Parisians. The sculpture brought both admiration and criticism for the realism it carried.
Middle Years
His work Age of Bronze gave him recognition among the Parisian society. In 1880, the French Ministry of Fine Arts commissioned him which eventually resulted in another of his masterpiece, The Gates of Hell.
Even though he never got married till the last year of his life, he was in a lifelong relationship with Rose Beuret with a varying commitment. The couple had a son together. But later in his life, he met with Camille Claudel who was a young sculptor. Both had an intense relationship and influenced each other compassionately. Claudel helped Rodin with his sculptures and influenced him as a model. But the relationship ended when Claudel realized that he would never leave Rose.
Rodin created monuments for some of the legends of Paris society like the world-famous writer Victor Hugo, Artist Claude Lorrain etc., which were recognized as some of his most famous paintings.
Later Years
Rodin earned great fame and many followers. He was admired by many people in that period. He moved into the Biron hotel in 1908 which was commissioned to be demolished, but he saved it using his influence and promised to give his whole estate for the French Government in return.
During the last years of his life, he finally married Rose when their relationship reached fifty-three years old. But unfortunately, Rose died after two weeks of the marriage and after a few months, Rodin joined her too. He was at the age of 77 when he died.
Rodin’s Style
Auguste Rodin created his own style in sculpture designing. He didn’t get the opportunity for formal training, unlike many other artists during his time. However, his lack of training actually became a benefit for him, because it inspired him to experiment with new techniques which made him one of the most distinguished innovative sculptors in the world itself.
Realism featured the early works of Rodin, where his works captured the features of the human body with all the minute detailing and perfection. His success in rendering human figure without losing its life made him a recognized artist who can compete with the modern-day artists of today.
In the early stages of his career, Rodin developed his style by concentrating on his own education and by observing the works of other artists who got training from the Belle de Artes. The rebellious nature Rodin showed towards the academic sculpture gave him a unique identity among the other sculptors of his time. He changed the face of sculpting by the techniques he developed from his own experiments and skills. This gave him a distinguished position as the father of modern sculpting.
Rodin preferred to portray the physical realism of his subjects instead of giving importance to their character. This can be seen in his first recognized work, The Age of Bronze.
Later on his life, he tried to develop alternative techniques which resulted in some wonderful creations like The Gates of Hell. After a few years into his career, he began to move away from realism and his works became more expressionist. He always tried to develop his skills and experimented with different techniques throughout his life. You can see the development of this great sculptor during your Rodin museum tour. This is a great opportunity for you to admire some fantastic works that changed the face of sculpting in the entire world.