Auguste Rodin's 172nd Birthday
From
India Today:
Auguste Rodin's 'The Thinker' on Google doodle
Google doodle on Monday celebrates the 172nd birth anniversary of French sculptor Francois-Auguste-Rene Rodin, better known as Auguste Rodin. Although Rodin is generally considered the progenitor of modern sculpture, he did not set out to rebel against the past.
Born into a working-class family in Paris on November 12, 1840, Rodin had an inclination towards art from his early age and pursued drawing and painting at the Petite Ecole, a school specializing in art and mathematics.
Rodin, who is appreciated for his manner of dealing with the subject and muse, emphasized to capture the intellectual force of his subject. The google doodle commemorates the sculpture The Thinker (1879-1889) which is among the most recognized creation of his works. It is a marble and bronze sculpture and is now in the Musee Rodin in Paris.
Among his various works, the best known included The Thinker and The Kiss. 'The Thinker' depicts a man in sober meditation and often interpreted as philosophy.
Rodin, considered to be the father of modern sculpture, rebelled against the established rules of the time. His work was criticised during his lifetime and it wasn't until after his death that his work came to be fully appreciated.
Rodin's most original work departed from traditional themes of mythology and allegory, modeled the human body with realism, and celebrated individual character and physicality. Rodin was sensitive to the controversy surrounding his work, but refused to change his style.
During his lifetime, he developed a fan following and by the time he was 60, he was well known around the world. While his popularity suffered a dip right after his death in 1917, his legacy became stronger a few years later.
His famous works include The Age of Bronze (L'age d'airain) 1877, The Walking Man (L'homme qui marche) 1877-78, The Burghers of Calais (Les Bourgeois de Calais) 1889, The Kiss 1889 and The Thinker (Le Penseur), 1902.
