Other critics came to see the sculpture as a self-portrait. The sculpture is nude, as Rodin wanted a heroic figure in the tradition of Michelangelo, to represent intellect as well as poetry. Other critics reject that theory, pointing out that the figure is naked while Dante is fully clothed throughout his poem, and that the sculpture's physique does not correspond to Dante's effete figure. Some critics believe that it was originally intended to depict Dante at the gates of Hell, pondering his great poem. Rodin based this on the early 14th century poem The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, and most of the figures in the work represented the main characters in the poem with The Thinker at the center of the composition over the doorway and somewhat larger than most of the other figures. The Thinker was initially named The Poet (French: Le Poète), and was part of a large commission begun in 1880 for a doorway surround called The Gates of Hell. ![]() The Thinker in The Gates of Hell at the Musée Rodin There are various other versions, several in plaster, and studies and posthumous castings exist in a range of sizes. There are also 27 other known full-sized castings, in which the figure is approximately 185 cm (73 inches) high, although not all were made during Rodin's lifetime and under his supervision. Rodin conceived the figure as part of his work The Gates of Hell commissioned in 1880, but the first of the familiar monumental bronze castings was made in 1904, and is now exhibited at the Musée Rodin, in Paris. ![]() The pose is one of deep thought and contemplation, and the statue is often used as an image to represent philosophy. He is seen leaning over, his right elbow placed on his left thigh, holding the weight of his chin on the back of his right hand. The work depicts a nude male figure of heroic size sitting on a rock. ![]() The Thinker ( French: Le Penseur) is a bronze sculpture by Auguste Rodin, usually placed on a stone pedestal. Le Penseur (1904) in the Musée Rodin in Paris
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