Drawings: Rodin

In this FULL VERSION, designed for iPhone and iPad, you will find over 75 Drawings by the Master Auguste Rodin. Enjoy the high quality images of his drawings, share them with your friends via email, and learn about the artist life.

Auguste René Rodin (1840-1917), was a French sculptor, illustrator, graphic artist, and painter. He is considered to be the founder of Impressionist style in the art of the sculpture. Rodin restored an ancient role of sculpture: to capture the physical and intellectual force of the human subject; he freed sculpture from the repetition of traditional patterns, providing the foundation for greater experimentation in the 20th century.

During his lifetime, Rodin was compared to Michelangelo, and was widely recognized as the greatest artist of the era. In the three decades following his death, his popularity waned with changing aesthetic values. Since the 1950s, Rodins reputation has re-ascended; he is recognized as the most important sculptor of the modern era, and has been the subject of much scholarly work. The sense of incompletion offered by some of his sculpture, such as The Walking Man, influenced the increasingly abstract sculptural forms of the 20th century. Though highly honoured for his artistic accomplishments, Rodin did not spawn a significant, lasting school of followers. His notable students included Antoine Bourdelle, Charles Despiau, the American Malvina Hoffman, and his mistress Camille Claudel.

Rodins rich graphic oeuvre has until now been a little-known aspect of his art, yet it is crucial to a full understanding of his work. His drawings and watercolors were influenced by the art of ancient Egypt and Greece as well as by Rodins observations of Japanese theater and Javanese and Cambodian dancers. Rodin used a wide range of materials and techniques, experimenting with various media.