Monument to Balzac Auguste Rodin

Les Arts de la vie Paris

Unfortunately the Paris Museum for which the original The Gates of Hell was created was never built and so there is little critical reception for this piece in its original format. However, when Rodin chose to create The Thinker as a single sculpture it became one of his most well-known and acclaimed works. A copy of the piece was in fact chosen by the artist to mark his grave in the cemetery at Meudon in Paris, France.



Reception during the artist's Lifetime:

The Thinker was first exhibited as a large-scale individual sculpture in 1904 at the Salon in Paris. The reaction to this piece was unprecedented and it became a favorite of the press at that time. Due to the fact that long before The Thinker was exhibited critics had been ridiculing Rodin's Monument to Balzac in the same gallery, one critic in particular felt that The Thinker more than made up for the abstract and unusual Balzac.



Gabriel Mourey was the editor of a magazine called "Les Arts de la vie", which was a popular art publication of the time. Mourey started a subscription for The Thinker so that it could be purchased for the people of Paris to enjoy. By doing this, the memory of Rodin's disastrous Monument to Balzac was largely forgotten and Rodin cemented his place as the most influential sculptor of modern times.



After the Artist's Death:

Although some of Rodin's work fell out of favor as the 20th century progressed, The Thinker has remained one of the his most popular works. Some critics have noted that this could be because The Thinker relates to everyone and the very human nature of the piece is much easier to understand than some of Rodin's more abstract works.



21st Century:

Today the amount of copies of The Thinker around the world is testament to its popularity. Often used in many satirical comedies, The Thinker is such an iconic piece of work that it is still inspiring artists to this day.