Auguste Rodin   1840 - 1917 

Rodin was born into a poor family. At age 13 he entered a drawing school, where he learned drawing and modeling, and at 17 he attempted to enter the École des Beaux-Arts, but he failed the competitive examinations three times. The following year, he decided to earn his living by doing decorative stonework. Traumatized by the death of his sister Marie in 1862, he considered entering the church; but in 1864 the young sculptor met Rose Beuret, a seamstress, who became his life companion, although he did not marry her until a few weeks before her death in February 1917. In 1875, at age 35, Rodin had yet to develop a personally expressive style because of the pressures of the decorative work. Italy gave him the shock that stimulated his genius. He visited Genoa, Florence, Rome, Naples, and Venice before returning to Brussels. The inspiration of Michelangelo and Donatello rescued him from the academicism of his working experience.

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