The Life of Auguste Rodin Trivia Quiz

Answer: He was nearsighted and very shy

François-Auguste-René Rodin knew as a young child that he wanted to be a great sculptor. He took a serious interest in drawing and his father set him up with his first drawing lessons when he was ten years old. His mother wanted him to become academically inclined and asked Jean to enroll Auguste in Beauvais, an all boys boarding school.

In 1851, Rodin attended his uncle's boarding school, but still could not overcome his difficulties with basic academic subjects that involved reading and writing...it was something that he would never fully overcome as an adult.

He also had an extremely hard time making friends in school due to his shyness. Also the fact that he was nearsighted caused problems for him as well in class.

Answer: False

In 1854, Rodin enrolled himself at École Impériale de Dessin, where he first discovered how adept he was with clay. While at École Impériale de Dessin, he was awarded two prizes for drawing and modeling.

However, during his time at École Impériale de Dessin, he did try to gain entrance to the more prestigious and conservative École des Beaux-Arts, but the school's administration rejected him three times, saying that he did not possess enough natural ability and creativity.

Answer: 1863

The Salon in Paris was a popular hot spot for artists of that era, and whether an artist's work was accepted and placed on display, was the make it or break it factor in their careers.

In 1863, having saved enough money, Rodin rented his very first studio.

He set about deciding on a creation to submit to the Salon. Rodin decided to hire the neighborhood handyman, Bibi...this would mark the first time that he would hire a model.

What drew Rodin to want to capture Bibi's facial features, was that he had very strong features, and Rodin wanted to do a bust of Bibi that showcased his broken nose!

However, incidents happened that were beyond Rodin's control, such as the freezing temperatures in the studio, which caused the back of the sculpture to freeze and fall off...much to the horror of Rodin.

After reviewing the work that he had done on the bust, he decided that he would submit the statuette as is.

He continued to work on the bust for over a year before submitting it to the Salon for approval, and in 1864 he submitted the portrait bust to the Salon and was horrified when it was rejected.

Not one to be discouraged, Rodin again worked on the bust for the remainder of 1864, and then resubmitted the bust yet again in 1865, only to be told that the bust was not the quality that the Salon was looking for.

Answer: The Man with the Broken Nose

The original title that Rodin gave the sculpture of Bibi, the handyman, was The Man with the Broken Nose, but when the conditions in his studio turned frigid, the bust became frozen, and eventually cracked. He renamed it as The Mask of the Man with the Broken Nose for the application to the Salon.

Answer: False

It was in 1865, that Rodin met Rose Beurat. She would become his model, and life long companion and in 1866, she gave birth to Rodin's son.
Throughout their life together, Auguste remained devoted to her. Although it is widely known that he also fell in love with Camille Claudel, a nineteen year old model who worked for him during the 1880s, he remained strong in his love for Rose. Camille wanted Rodin to leave Rose but he refused ... Hee eventually severed ties with Camille in 1898.

Answer: No

In 1870, due to the Franco-Prussian war, Rodin was drafted into the National Guard, and was subsequently released due to his nearsightedness.

Finding himself without work due to the war, he accepted an offer of employment from his former employer, Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse. Belleuse was commissioned to decorate the new stock exchange in Brussels, and wanted Auguste to go there with him.

His work in Brussels would last six years, and marked a turning point in Rodin's career.

In Brussels, Rodin held his first exhibition, thus marking his debut as an independent sculptor.

He was widely accepted by the people of Belgium, and in 1875 he decided to try again to gain exhibition status at the Salon in Paris. He began to work on his first large scale sculpture, The Vanquished.

While on a trip to Italy, during 1875, he met a young Belgian solider by the name of Auguste Neyt and was truly taken with the man's overall appearance, and decided that he wanted Neyt to be his model.

Answer: The Age of Bronze

In 1877, Rodin brought the nude to be displayed in the Salon, and while it was admired for its beauty, it was believed that he took body casts of a live model. Rodin was defended by these accusations by other sympathetic painters and sculptors, and the Salon finally awarded The Age of Bronze (The Vanquished) a third class medal.

Not long after the viewing of the nude at the Salon, it was acquired by the state.

Answer: As compensation for the fiasco over his 1877 Salon showing

According to Rodin historians, he was offered a commission by the state as compensation for the 1877 Salon disaster. The state believed that Rodin was a gifted artist, and did not want to take the chance that he may decide to leave Paris and move to Italy.

From this commission would come one of his most famous pieces, The Gates of Hell. "The Gates" were originally to be displayed at the entrance to Musee des Arts Decoratifs, and would plague Rodin until the time of his death in 1917, because according to him "The Gates" were never truly finished; as the original design called for 186 figures to be shown with and near "The Gates."

In 1900, at a special pavilion in the Place de l'Alma, The Gates of Hell were shown in what was considered one of the largest exhibitions of its time. Only after Rodin's death, were the missing figures added to the exhibition, and "The Gates" were cast in metal.

Historians believe the reason for Rodin's dissatisfaction with "The Gates" was because he believe that the design that it was intended for was unsuitable, and the the detail to the other sculptures that were to accompany it were too detailed.

However, some of his most renowed sculptures came from his commission of "The Gates," such as The Kiss, Adam, The Thinker, and Eve.

The largest collection of Rodin pieces, outside of Paris, can be seen in a specially built museum named after the famous sculptor, The Rodin Museum, located in Philadelphia, Pennyslvania. The Rodin Museum is host to The Gates of Hell, Eternal Springtime, which is an emotional historic dedication, and Apotheosis of Victor Hugo, bronze cast of The Thinker, drawings, and letters along with an abundance of biographical information about the famed artist.

Answer: Adam and Eve

When he sketched the original design, he intended for Adam and Eve to hold the doors to The Gates of Hell open for all to gain entrance, as he believed them to represent original sin and the cause for man's spiritual erosion.

Answer: False

When Rodin created The Thinker, he had originally titled it The Poet, as a reference to Dante and the creative drive in all men.

Rodin held high hopes for The Thinker, as he intended it to show how man is capable of abandoning all hope in order to gain entrance through The Gates of Hell.

However, the artist was becoming disillusioned by the amount of detail and design concept, that historians believe he did not do his best with The Thinker.

Answer: 1893

Rodin always worked at his own pace, and it was because of this that the sculpture of Balzac was not completed until 1897; the Societe des Gens de Lettres refused delivery. It remained in Rodin's possession until the time of his death in 1917. Balzac can be seen in the Musee Rodin, in Paris.

Answer: Painting, pottery, writing, and etching

Rodin had a love for many things aside from sculpting. In the wake of his death, the world would soon know all about Rodin and his many talents, which included painting, pottery, writing and etching.

Numerous drawings, which are marked with a simple, yet effective use of free-flowing lines, show exactly which direction Rodin's work was taking. Auguste was also interested in French medieval Art and wrote a book entitled "Les Cathédrales de France," which was published in 1910.

Answer: 168

The Paris Exposition contained one hundred-sixty eight sculptures that were cast in bronze, marble, and plaster. The specially made pavilion was also adorned with his drawings, and lectures were given to all that were interested in his techinques.

People from far and wide came to see the unique exposition, and soon after the closing of the Paris World Exposition, Rodin began receiving requests from Canada to Japan for special exhibitions. Rodin was finally recognized worldwide.

Answer: That upon his death, the French government would inherit his entire estate

After much arguing with the French government, Rodin was allowed to stay at the Hôtel Biron, but only because he agreed that the French government would inherit his entire estate, providing that they made a musuem to hold and honor all of his works. The final seal was not placed upon this agreement until 1916, one year before his death.

Answer: False

In what Rodin historians consider a glorious event, the famed sculptor finally wed his life long companion, Rose Beuret on January 29, 1917.

Three weeks after they were married, his beloved Rose passed away, and it is believed that Auguste was not able to overcome the grief of losing his beloved Rose. Sadly, the world lost a great sculptor on November 10, 1917. People from far and wide came to pay their last respects to a man that gave the art world so much.

François-Auguste-René Rodin was laid to rest alongside his lovely wife, Rose, at their country home in Meudon, his sculpture The Thinker was placed at the base of his tomb.

All information can be found in the Art Encyclopedia circa 1997.