The Thinker is a renowned sculpture by Auguste Rodin. It has heavy roots in greco-roman culture, obvious from the body size depicted and familiar muscle tone in statues of ancient Greek gods. The original sculpture was made of bronze and turned green as time went on. The aging process is often considered when bronze casting, it makes the art seem older, and sometimes commands reverence. Not only does the material used seem to radiate strength, but the man depicted also appears to be heavily built and powerful.
The large casting we all know came from France in 1904, a mere ten years before World War I, speaks to the desires of a public who wanted peace and civility. The concept for the Thinker came about in the 1880s, about the time nationalism
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Yet the strange part of the sculpture is that this warrior isn’t posed for battle- he ponders something. He sits on a tree stump or rock, seemingly unaware of any uncomfort the spot affords him. The Thinker does not move, but it seems his mind is wandering the globe, his right hand serves solely as a resting place for his immense head. His other hand sits partially opened on his knee, bracing his weight so he doesn’t tip. The hair on his head is short and tame, slight waves give it more character than just the scratches and marks made by foul weather. His face is incredibly detailed- the eyes are open, his jaw bones are sharp and wide. The nose is Roman, large and commanding. It appears to have been broken long before his contemplative state. Deep lines run under his eyes and on his brow. Meanwhile the hand he rests his head on has forced his mouth into a strange sort of frown, like a student who doesn’t quite understand the material in class. He doesn’t seem to be in a jovial …show more content…
Rightly named “The Thinker” it embodies the feeling of being wholly absorbed in thought. I see a man who is immensely powerful, but shows such restraint as to sit and contemplate life. It speaks to me on a personal level where my values lie. That this man has such a capacity for action yet places thought higher, reminds me to stop and think before I act. It reminds me to culture my mind and take care of my body. The idea of such great restraint calms me, go figure. Even more that philosophy, the man represents strength in solace. It’s important to note that Thinker sits alone on his mound, but more important is that he is indifferent to all the people walking around, staring at him. The Thinker has found some sort of inner peace. He doesn’t heed the people that stand and gawk at his vulnerable body, nor does he meet the gaze of anyone who think great of him. In a way Thinker is personifies the self-assuredness and poise so many people, including myself, work their lives to maintain. As much as the Thinker deserves praise, it does have a few
The sculpture is small, approximately 4 3/8 inches, and is carved of oolitic stone, a porous limestone. Since this particular stone is not found in the area, it is believed that the sculpture was brought from another region. The size and shape of the figurine fit comfortably in the hand, which suggests the figurine was meant to be carried. Witcombe, sec. -.... ... middle of paper ...
When World War I ended, Progressivism ended as well which occurred when much of the world’s problems were being put at rest; thu...
Sculpture is a medium that artists in ancient Greek commonly used to express spoken truths in an unspoken form. Every piece of ancient Greek sculpture has more than what the eye sees to explain the story behind the [in this case] marble.
The quote above, perfectly describes the kind of person Rodin was, and the type of art he produced. Rodin is known as a very proactive, persevering, and innovative man from history. One of Rodin’s most amazing sculptures, The Thinker, is renowned as one of the most innovative and inspiring art pieces ever created. This magnificent and fascinating sculpture was so influential because of its themes of mental creativity, intellect, and spirituality. Even though this piece is so well known and inspiring, many people still struggle to identify what exactly this piece says about human nature. In order for one to discover what this sculpture says about human nature, one must take into account the time period the art piece was created in, the author’s influence, and the analysis of the piece. All of the evidence found among these categories related to the sculpture suggest that The Thinker, created by the famous Auguste Rodin, depicts the creativity and spirituality of human nature.
Looking at the three Declarations from America, France, and Haiti, a common theme of liberty, equality, and popular sovereignty arises that directly sprung from France. So contagious were the ideas that even though the Thirteen Colonies previously warred with France, it could not stop the revelation caused by Enlightenment thought. Nationalism on a worldwide scale began with France’s conquest for domination under Napoleon. As Napoleon physically “freed” the countries he conquered from their previous rules, he simultaneously freed them intellectually through the exchange of Enlightenment thought.
This is an extremely high relief sculpture made of limestone. It is to be viewed from a frontal standpoint. It however does have a potential for movement. There seems to be a great deal going on in such a close space. It is very crowded, but dramatic. The figures are intertwining with each other all at once even though there are different things happening. It reminds me of a play with scenes. You can actually step in to it and feel as though you are a part of what is happening because of all the different directions each individual is facing.
The statue is made of marble, instead of the bronze statue. This statue is one of the earliest marble statues of a human figure carved in Attica. The statue is a kind of symbol; he does not in any way a likeness. This is my first expression when I saw the statue: the statue is showing me a simple, clear action that was used by Greek youth sculptures throughout this period. Looking at this statue, he expanded into 3D space, because he is standing straight and facing forward without any exaggerated movements, thus the post makes him look closed-off and a column his limbs are locked in space. Therefore, the standing posture, the decorations on his body, his hair and knee’s texture and how the Egyptians impact Greek art, is what makes me interested in it. A question that has always been in my mind is
Prior to the Great War, under an autocratic regime, the innovative intellectuals within society felt that the institution oppressed their views and creative instinct. In contrast, post World War one Germany brought with it an extremely diverse and radical culture. It is with the benefit of hindsight that it becomes apparent that this period was an opportunity for those pioneering modernists to sow their ideology in fertile lands. Those observers who nostalgically refer to the Weimar years as the ‘Golden Twenties’ are clearly not referring to the socio-economic distresses of the period.
“He knew that the moment he allowed himself to feel to its fullness how he live the shame and misery of their lives, he would be swept out of himself with fear and despair.” This quote describes the situation bigger and his family are in. His fears and inner demons reminding him and fighting back of where his mind is really at. Wright uses this sentence to describe bigger and the works of his mind, the power his thoughts have over him if he surrendered. Thus showing weakness and the fear of accepting who he really is.
I chose this sculpture because I was intrigued by the position of the man and the centaur. I was able to witness that the centaur is trying to invade the personal space of the man. The sculpture showed me that there is a strong relationship between man and creature. The quality of the sculpture made me realize that animals play a big part of a human’s life and can be seen as threatening to humans. It was interesting to see that both the man and centaur were created to have almost of the same structures. This statue has a metallic brown and green, bronze tone and appeared undersized. It has a height of four and a half feet, and six inches. It has long, thin, legs with calf muscles, and bulging thighs. The sculpture evolved from Olympia, Greece. The man and centaur sculpture was created in 750 BCE during an orderly time period. The colors used for this sculpture, proved that it has a longer lasting mold for statues. On the left side of the sculpture, the man has a wrap on his head, that can symbolize, he is some form of a god. On the right side, the centaur has the same head piece as the man, but the body of a horse. It can be seen that the man and
...so much that his feet needed to be shrunken in order for the viewer to fully see the body. All of the other details are also severely accentuated, from the drapery that shows an anatomically correct figure to the strikingly realistic stigmata. The emotional quality of this painting is uncontested, and the details that set it apart from other Lamentations are only side notes to the amazing perspective that Mantegna was able to produce.
Another reason that had a significant impact was the belief of fascists that their nations were superior to all other people. “Fascism was the governing ideology of Ge...
Masters. With his small hand camera he unobtrusively photographed people’s lives around the world. He was solely responsible for bridging the gap between photojournalism and art. He has published more than a dozen books of his work. The greatest museums in the world have shown his work.
a shift can be seen from idealized and nearly perfect sculptures to sculptures that had a natural and real feel to them. These newer statues were sculpted with the notion of Realism weighing more than the concept of Idealism. The subjects’ body was not in a state of military attention, they were placed in a more natural, yet still graceful position. Realistic sculptures also did not embellish the muscular physique of the subject; the muscle definition was displayed more subtly and naturally. The weight of Realistic statues is not distributed in a balanced, geometric fashion like the Ideal statues. The Realistic statues balance their weight just as a real person would in motion which gives the sculpture a more graceful and natural
Man is a poem that has fully formed stanzas - each stanza can be viewed as a separate point, and has it’s own central metaphor. When all of the stanzas are added up, they act as points in an essay, each a fully developed argument on the importance of man, and humanity’s closeness with