Thinker Page

"What makes my Thinker think is that he thinks not only with the brain, with his knitted brow, his destended nostrils, and compressed lips, but with every muscle of his arms, back, and legs, with his clenched fist and gripping toes."

Auguste Rodin

"The Thinker"

Courtesy of Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation

The Thinker is one of the best known pieces of art in the world. Like Da Vinci's "Mona Lisa" or Van Gogh's "Sun Flowers", the artists and their works are known instantly. Few works are better known than Rodin's bronze statue of a man lost in thought. This work has become part of our cultural fabric. Rodin's "The Thinker" can be found in miniature form gracing the Museum Shop in West Town Mall in Knoxville, Tennessee. Many people over the age of 40 will remember the popular late 1950's television series, "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis". Each week the series opened with the title character striking the pose of "The Thinker" and asking some question. People often mimic the pose to suggest that they are deep in thought.

Thinker Sites

Thinker Restored
An interesting account of how the Rodin Musem restored its "The Thinker" which had endured over 60 years of outdoor urban life.
The Statue
A brief history of "The Thinker" provided by the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco. Provides a list of "thinkers" both in the U.S. and abroad.
Musee Rodin's Thinker Page
This page is part of the Musee Rodin website. A concise history of "The Thinker" is included. The page has a early photograph of a plaster cast of "The Thinker". Access the page by clicking on collections, then sculptor, and last, "The Thinker".
Philadelphia's Thinker
This personal web page has several photos of "The Thinker", including one in its outdoor setting in Philadelphia. It also contains a wonderful Rodin quote concerning the statue.

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