A rather canonic and historically important art sculpture is placed in the Roden’s Museum in Paris. The statue that will be discussed is The Thinker by August Roden in the genre of Realism, created in 1881. The composition represents a man in a deep and intense process of thinking, encompassing all of his resources to engage in that process. Aspects that will be discussed are the characteristics regarding different parameters of the sculpture used to categorize and define works of art. The medium that was used to create the sculpture was metal, specifically bronze and marble. The dimensions of the sculpture are 74” x 38” x 55”, and the size of The Thinker is relatively similar to the size of a human. The sculpture represents a naked middle-aged man sitting on a rock. His pose makes a viewer believe that he is in a very intense process of thinking.
The line of the sculpture, looking at it from the profile, is a zigzag formed by the bent legs and the torso bent forward. Regarding the shape, it might be called realistic, as it represents a very detailed human body, yet it seems relatively smooth. The sculpture does not produce any light itself, and therefore it can be classified as reflecting. In terms of the value, the darkness is prevalent in the sculpture’s color, whereas the color itself is monotone on the surface of the whole sculpture, and it is iron-black like graphite. There are no empty areas in the composition, so the space is positive; it is occupied by the man and the rock he is sitting on. There is no time or motion represented in the sculpture, as the man seems to sit still, and the only other object besides him is the rock that does not move as well.
In terms of balance, even though the sculpture feels stable, it is asymmetric. On the continuum of unity and variety, it strongly pulls to the first polarity, as all the elements seem to fit and are monotone. The rhythm of the composition seems to be wave-like and fast. Frequent indentations on the rock and the big number of details in the muscles and bones on the body of The Thinker create that feeling. Regarding the emphasis, the head and the arm supporting it attract the most attention. The body seems to occupy more area than the rock; therefore, the proportion is pulled towards him. All these factors create a rather interesting picture when connected with the iconography of the sculpture.
The Thinker symbolizes active and deep creative thinking. His head slightly tilted down and supported by his arm represent that process. It might be interpreted from his whole body being in the position where it is as convenient as possible not to spend any energy to maintain the pose, as his feet balk at the side of the rock and the weight of his torso is put onto his thighs (Cobby 99). His face expresses concern, although most of his face does not show any emotion. It is represented by his heavy eyebrows slightly moved down on the eyes. His sight does not seem to be directed to anything specific, which resembles being deep into the process of thinking as well.
Even though The Thinker is often associated with a wide term of creative thinking, it seems that he is specifically concerned about a complex philosophical problem. He does not look like he is thinking about a solution for something usual or trying to get an idea about a piece of art to create. He looks rather melancholic and even slightly frustrated with the difficulty of the issue that he is trying to resolve. I like the artwork for two reasons, which are the aesthetic beauty of it, and because of the feelings and thoughts it causes. It reminds of a distinct emotion when a person is bothered with an existential question, and it recalls it. Thinking about God, the point of life, the nature of social interactions, reflecting on own actions and beliefs – this is what the sculpture makes me feel like. Besides, it is interesting to note that the pose of the Thinker slightly resembles the pose of a child in the mother’s womb. This gives a feeling of peace and connection with the universe as if it flows through the mind while it is working. The work reminds me of the statue of the Socrates statue at the Academy of Athens, in which Socrates is depicted thinking in a similar pose. Perhaps, this is caused by the similarity of what these compositions depict.
The Thinker represents a man in a deep process of creative thinking, sitting on a rock. There is no movement in this composition, and it is monotone, dark, and calm. It is relatively monolete, and there are no objects that stick out in the composition. The process of thinking seems to be more related to sophisticated philosophical topics rather than something related to real-life issues. His pose and the facial expression show that he is bothered by something or is trying to come up with a solution to a very difficult problem.
Works Cited
Cobby, Helen. “‘Rodin and the Art of Ancient Greece’.” British Art Journal, vol. 19, no. 2, 2018, pp. 98+. Gale Academic OneFile, Web.