The French sculptor Auguste Rodin was interested in art even as a boy. At age 10, he started drawing. By the time he was 15, Rodin had discovered the art of sculpture. Rodin started out working for building decorators. He made decorative designs for the outsides of buildings. Later, Rodin became

The French sculptor Auguste Rodin was interested in art even as a boy. At age 10, he started drawing. By the time he was 15, Rodin had discovered the art of sculpture. Rodin started out working for building decorators. He made decorative designs for the outsides of buildings. Later, Rodin became a sculptor’s assistant. He worked with the sculptor A.-E. Carrier-Belleuse. In 1864, at age 24, Rodin publically showed his first major sculpture, “The Man with the Broken Nose.” The official art critics of the time did not like it. They believed art should be about beauty. To them, Rodin’s sculpture was about something “ugly” and ordinary.

At age 35, Rodin went to Italy to study the work of the famous painter Michelangelo. He learned a great deal about the human form. His work began to look even more realistic. It seemed to be full of movement and drama. When he was 37 years old, Rodin sculpted “The Age of Bronze.” It was so unusual and realistic that people said he must have molded it on a real person! After years of struggle, Rodin finally had become known as a great sculptor.

Rodin’s sculptures were usually cast in bronze or carved from marble. The bronze pieces could be duplicated many times, using an original piece that was molded in clay. The piece that Rodin is probably best known for is his statue “The Thinker”. Like almost all of his sculptures, it shows a person in a natural, everyday pose. But Rodin’s work seems to show a reality and truth that people may not have noticed before. Many people still find that his work symbolizes the things that we all experience and feel.

a sculptor’s assistant. He worked with the sculptor A.-E. Carrier-Belleuse. In 1864, at age 24, Rodin publically showed his first major sculpture, “The Man with the Broken Nose.” The official art critics of the time did not like it. They believed art should be about beauty. To them, Rodin’s sculpture was about something “ugly” and ordinary.

At age 35, Rodin went to Italy to study the work of the famous painter Michelangelo. He learned a great deal about the human form. His work began to look even more realistic. It seemed to be full of movement and drama. When he was 37 years old, Rodin sculpted “The Age of Bronze.” It was so unusual and realistic that people said he must have molded it on a real person! After years of struggle, Rodin finally had become known as a great sculptor.

Rodin’s sculptures were usually cast in bronze or carved from marble. The bronze pieces could be duplicated many times, using an original piece that was molded in clay. The piece that Rodin is probably best known for is his statue “The Thinker”. Like almost all of his sculptures, it shows a person in a natural, everyday pose. But Rodin’s work seems to show a reality and truth that people may not have noticed before. Many people still find that his work symbolizes the things that we all experience and feel.