August Rodin, The Thinker, 1904, Detroit Institute of Arts

August Rodin, The Thinker, 1904, Detroit Institute of Arts

August Rodin, The Thinker, 1904, Detroit Institute of Arts


August Rodin, The Thinker, 1904, 200.7 x 130.2 x 140.3 cm (79 x 51 1/4 x 55 1/4 in.) weight approximately 2,000 lbs Granite base weight 12,000 lbs, Gift of Horace H. Rackham, 1922, Detroit Institute of Arts

Originally named The Poet (Le Poète), the Thinker was initially a figure in a large commission, begun in 1880, for a doorway surround called The Gates of Hell. Rodin based this on The Divine Comedy of Dante, and most of the many figures in the work represented the main characters in the epic poem. Some critics believe The Thinker, at the centre of the composition over the doorway and at about 70 cm high larger than most other figures, was originally intended to depict Dante at the Gates of Hell, pondering his great poem. However, there are questionable aspects to this interpretation, including that the figure is naked, Dante is fully clothed throughout his poem, and that the figure, as used, in no way corresponds to Dante's effete figure. The sculpture is nude, as Rodin wanted a heroic figure in the tradition of Michelangelo, to represent intellect as well as poetry.

This detail from the Gate of Hell was first named The Thinker by foundry workers, who noted its similarity to Michelangelo's statue of Lorenzo de Medici called "Il Penseroso" (The Thinker). Rodin decided to treat the figure as an independent work, at a larger size. The figure was designed to be seen from below, and is normally displayed on a plinth, though the heights chosen by the various owners for these varies considerably.