According to many, French-born François-Auguste-René Rodin (better know as Auguste Rodin) is the father of modern sculpture. His style differed from that of traditional artists in the field, and for that he took criticism in his lifetime. The more he sculpted, however, the more fans he won over and by the turn of the 20th century, Rodin was a big time player in the art world.
Rodin is known for many iconic works of modern sculpture, including The Age of Bronze, The Walking Man, and The Kiss – but he’s most widely recognized as the artist behind The Thinker, which was first sculpted in 1880. Originally called “The Poet,” Rodin’s The Thinker was first given a large-scale cast in 1902 and went on display to the public a couple of years later. The Thinker has been cast in various formats and is available for viewing in many parts of the world.
Rodin married in the final year of his life and died in in 1917. Within a few years, he began to be recognized as the important figure that he is thought to be today.
Today, Google celebrates the influential artist’s birthday (November 12th, 1840) with a special Doodle.
This Doodle makes The Thinker the centerpiece, setting it in place of the second ‘o’ in the iconic logo. Rodin, who died at the age of 77, would have been 172 today.
