Auguste Rodin
French sculptor (1840–1917)
Auguste Rodin and the making of a sculptor
Learning through architectural work
Before his fame as an independent sculptor, Auguste Rodin worked in the studio of Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse. He helped produce decorative sculpture for buildings in Paris and followed the studio to Brussels. This work offered income and practical experience in the collaborative production of large commissions, despite his lack of an École des Beaux-Arts diploma.
The controversy around The Age of Bronze
Rodin made The Age of Bronze in Brussels and exhibited the figure in 1877. Its unusually convincing modelling prompted accusations that he had cast it directly from a living model. He defended his method, and the charge did not stand. The dispute brought his work wider attention and was followed by the commission for The Gates of Hell in 1880.
A workshop for monumental art
The commissions for The Gates of Hell and the Burghers of Calais placed Rodin in the realm of monumental public sculpture. Drawing on what he had learned in decorative workshops, he organized assistants for ambitious projects. His career thus moved from making architectural ornament for others to directing large sculptural works under his own name.
Data and sources
Musée Rodin — Sculpture and architecture ↗