The Thinker by Rodin: Great Art Explained
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- Опубліковано 8 чер 2024
- Correction: I should have said "The melting point of bronze is 2000F not 200 F"
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I started "Great Art Explained" during lockdown. My aim is to make videos which focus on one great artwork. I want to present art in a jargon free, entertaining, clear way with no gimmicks.
Subscribe and click the bell icon to get more arts content. Each video takes me about three weeks to a month, so I download at least once a month:
/ @greatartexplained
The Thinker, captured in a moment of concentrated introspection has come to represent a multitude of ideas about the nature of man and his place in the world. For some it is a symbol of knowledge, others philosophy, even existence itself.
As the critic Gabriel Mourey said: “It is simply a man for all time”.
Yet, Rodin had no intention of producing such a complex universal symbol when he first conceived the idea. And The Thinker itself might never have existed, if Rodin had been accepted by the establishment in the first place.
CREDITS
All the videos, songs, images, and graphics used in the video belong to their respective owners and I or this channel does not claim any right over them.
Thanks to Bart Vergouwe for Dutch Subtitles.
Thanks to Charle Xiu for Chinese subtitles
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Copyright Disclaimer under section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, education and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.
MUSIC
"Theme" music: JS Bach “Sonata for violin solo No.1 in G Minor”
'Filaments' by Scott Buckley is under a Creative Commons license Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0) Music promoted by BreakingCopyright: • 'Filaments' by @ScottB...
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You’re super underrated man I can’t stop watching your videos and I’m not even that heavy into art
That is a great compliment, thanks! 🙏
yea his videos have been making me a lot more interested in art
I know right, Im so in love
Very true.. Good luck man. Keep going.
It makes art history super digestible
I never realized Rodin was not formally trained.
I love how this series makes you rethink what you thought you knew about various artists and their work.
That’s my aim - so thanks for the comment 🙏
We have an another Thinker in Istanbul where the biggest psychiatric hospital in Turkey is. It's reproduced by two former patients for overthinking is perceived as 'madness'. It's considered as a symbol of being stuck between 'finding a solution' and 'drowning in thoughts'. Thanks for an another marvelous video by the way 🙂
Wow, in Istanbul, one of my favourite cities. That is so interesting! Thanks for the comment, and thanks so much for watching!
Insightful!
That place between just missing the mark and being hung out to dry in ignorance, though. Much harder to grasp the danger, but a good thinker would understand that hard work is not often a quick success, and that well-managed thoughts cannot drown you, they can only elevate you; it is fear that drowns you quickly. The video basically attests to that.
I was stationed out there in Adana..and went to tarsus, Mersin, and Istanbul a lot. I’m pissed I didn’t know this
I sufferred from overthinking until the Book of Mormon and Christ rescued me.
I never was interested in art. Came across your channel and I am addicted.
Excellent - thanks 🙏
I agree
Same😍
I share these videos as quick art history lessons to my high school art students. These are great introductions pieces.
What a lucky class.
@@rachaelmccarlanyone can access these videos
As a largely self-educated artist, I am greatly enjoying this "15-minute" series. A lot of these "great works" are just classified as "great works" in my head and it's illuminating to gain more understanding why. Thank you!
I discovered this channel about two weeks ago and it has quickly become one of my favorite things to watch! 😊
Thank you for sharing your knowledge with us in such a beautiful and concise way! 🙏🏾
Thanks so much for watching Sheila!
I rather watch your stuff than any Netflix doc.
"How the body can be universally expressive, and deeply personal." ...
I never knew "The Thinker" was a big studio collaboration of many art assistants. Art is open to many interpretations. I've been enjoying every one of your treatise. Thank you for your painstaking research and presentations.
One thing I’m thankful for the lockdown is having discovered your channel. Without any education in art history it seemed so overwhelming for a novice to navigate into the learning process. You’ve made it fun, easy and so exciting. I’m hooked on your channel.
Thank you.
As a fellow lockdown "scholar" I see in my own apartment art selections you bring alive with your genius, sensitivity and training. Look how "lockdown" has opened you and art to us. Thank you my dear friend.
Thank you Larry - that is a lovely comment and Thanks so much for watching! 🙏
I watch these with my 4 months old daughter. She will definitely be into art 🎨😂❤.
After a major deep dive in this UA-cam channel I’ve found that “simple” art isn’t simple at all
James, this series is absolutely brilliant. I’ve watched all the videos you’ve posted so far and I can’t wait for what’s in store for us in the future. Thank you!
Oh thank you Victoria - such a nice thing to say - more to come! Thanks for watching 🙏
Please leave a comment (even a short one) and "like" the video. It really helps promote the channel on UA-cam. I appreciate it! James
You got me into art history, thank you
That makes me happy 😊 thanks for watching!
I have seen the thinker in Copenhagen and it gave me the impression, that he was staring right into my soul and that he understood my struggles.
It felt like he took the weight off my shoulders and embraced me.
Thank you so so much for all of your incredible videos!
Soon 2022, and we need videos like this more than ever, in yet a new difficult period. Thank you for your work.
I love all the implications around what counts as an 'original' piece of art. Like with Cattelan's 'Comedian' and how you have to provide your own gaffa tape and banana. But I guess what that demonstrates is that ultimately you are paying for the idea. If I obtain the patent to some great invention, they don't actually give me the machine; and if I obtain the copyright to 'Eleanor Rigby' Paul McCartney doesn't come round to sing it for me. So I suppose so long as they are using the initial moulds, and with Rodin's consent (implied or otherwise) then it's still a Rodin. I wonder if this will become less, or more, of an issue as people grow up with digital art.
Have a look at the Rodin museum. Legally It can sell only 12 limited-edition versions from Rodin’s original plasters. The price ratio is interesting too - at one point the ‘originals’ made after his death sold for less but are now catching up. A recent Giacometti made after his death got the highest ever price at auction! Artists like Jeff Koons are already challenging what is digital. What amazes me is that Rodin was doing this over a hundred years ago. It was even more accepted then.
Super interesting comment.
Do you know the tale of The Ship of Theseus or the teletransportation paradox?
@@bensmith9253 Amazingly, yes. Funnily enough I was at a law thing recently when ship of Theseus came up, and one of the participants was into Roman Law so he was able to explain how the Romans viewed it. There's also an English case about a very expensive car. There were two claimants as to which was the original. The court held it was the one with the original VIN plate, regardless of which one actually had the most original parts.
But of course, this is relevant to all that NFT thing with digital art.
I prefer to think that it demonstrates that you are ultimately paying for the painting. If it turns out that Rembrandt's Man with the Golden Helmet is a 19th-century fake and not painted by Rembrandt, I couldn't care less. It still remains one of the most beautiful paintings in the world.
@@GreatArtExplained - Rodin would definitely have been flogging NFT's
For someone who always wanted to learn about art but never knew where to start from, these videos has helped me a lot! Thank you for re-igniting my love towards art. I hope one day I get to visit and appreciate them all. Thank you once again 🙏
Thanks for watching Megha 🙏
Once again, excellent! Although I've lectured myself on Rodin, and seen much of his--original (??!) work, I still learned and saw new aspects, and, again, new food for thought. At 18, first year in The American University, a bunch of us art students drove to Philadelphia to see an especially large exhibit of Rodin. Amazing--and not what I'd expected. Sketches, clay fragments, small bronzes and more. For an art student, a opening to his way of thinking visually, conceiving while working.
Wonderfully explained. I just love watching these videos. In a museum I just get lost and sometimes I can’t really understand a piece of art. Thank you for explaining in an interesting yet simple manner.
My favorite youtube series so far! Thanks for your work :)
I remember seeing "The Thinker" at the Legion of Honor Museum in San Francisco. I was quite confused about it, thinking that certainly they didn't have the original! On their website, they actually list nine other full sized bronze casts in the US and eight in other parts of the world. It certainly is food for thought, as we tend to think of their being only one "original" sculpture or painting in classic art.
I made a 3d printed model of The Thinker today, and was so thrilled to see my favorite art history channel had a video for it!
Another brilliant presentation, James. Thank you!! Your viewers might be interested to learn that the artist's signiture, which is so prized today, was, from the late Renaissance onwards, often put onto a work that the artist DIDN'T produce. The signature was the maestro's endorsement of a studio work, indicating that it passed quality control. Most great artists of the past worked with a studio of craftsmen: for example, at the height of his career, Rubens employed 137 people to paint his brilliant paintings. In the 18th century, the master portraitist would paint the heads, but the clothing, landscape and any perspectival elements would be painted by the drapery, landscape or perspective experts whose studios were elsewhere. Very successful painters, such as Reynolds or Gainsborough, would have in-house experts for this (Gainsborough's daughters were his expert assistants).
Thanks so much for the comment 🙏
"Good artists borrow, great artist steal"
Thank you for doing this! I feel like we need more educational content like yours on youtube, instead of those pointless entertaining clips. The quality of your videos is just astounding, i get to learn so much, and I literally can’t stop watching the “15 minute” series. You got me into art tysm 💞
These vidoes are also great work of art, drawing the masses with clear, unpretentious explanations. You're responsible for drawing a new class of viewers. Thank you.
As a first year art teacher, I love your work. Please continue your hard work! Very informative.
Thanks for the comment Levi 🙏
I cannot stop watching these videos. What an incredible work, James. I've learnt so much thanks to you.
When I was a kid, my class went to go see Rodin's works. I grew up with artist parents, so I didn't really have the concept of what made some art "a big deal" because to me it was just the norm and also I was like 10. So, even though I thought the works were nice and it was cool that they were old, I was kind ambivalent during the tour and in my own little world. When we walked into one specific room, closer to the end of the tour, on the other side I saw The Gates of Hell and in that moment I was awed. This time I was tuning out the tour because I didn't care about anything else in that room. I remember getting as close as was allowed, so I could just stare at all of the intricate details and suddenly and it changed art for me completely. I still, 17 years later am completely awed by the piece and I also have long since gained an appreciation for the rest of Rodin's works.
Great comment - thanks 🙏
Another engaging art story in a thought-provoking short film series. Bravo!
Thanks for the comment - And thanks for watching!
these videos make my morning! thank you for all the hard work that goes into making these
Fantastic commentary. How could I not have known about 'all of The Thinkers being originals as you explained??!! And, that he had others who created his sculptures from his designs and small clay models?! Thank you. I am learning so very much from your videos.
Another great explanation of a masterwork. I see there is also a link between oratory and success. It is a pleasure to follow someone who knows about art and also knows how to teach or explain a work of art.
Another fantastic video. Thanks very much for uploading.
Thanks for the lovely comment - much appreciated!
This channel is providing such a great service to the world. It's incredible that such an in depth and thought provoking analysis is so easily accessible to everyone. Your work gets people excited about learning and it's the best of what UA-cam has to offer.
Your best videos are when you match thoughtful music to the storytelling of the artist and art piece. Some music selections are better than others. But love all the videos
Immensely interesting. Now, I want to visit the Rodin museum. I will appreciate it more thanks to you.
I live the films and photography from the artist’s time. That tricorn hat (?) in Italy!
The Rodin museum in Paris is one of the most beautiful museums in the world! Thanks for watching!
Dang. I saw a "Thinker" in Washington DC in a museum in the garden of the gallery that I naively believed to be the original
Then many years later one in Calais
Now I know a lot more. Thank you for this informative video
The Sculpture Garden of the Hirshorn.
Three documentaries in... I'm glued to the channel
In enginneering, the lost wax method is called investment casting. It produces highly accurate (well defined structure) and high quality result.
It is one of the costliest method of casting.
Thanks for the info 🙏
I have binged all your videos.
Never seen the explanations likes yours anywhere!
Now I am so intrigued to see all the sculptures and paintings with a different mindset.
You have definitely changed our perception of looking at these art works. I just can't stop admiring your efforts!👌👏👏👏
Wow been in love this channel! Thanks for all these great in depth explanations. Let's support the creator on Patreon!
Tha is so much - it really helps! 🙏
Another fascinating video. We were able to see The Thinker in 2014 when we were in Paris. After viewing your video, I now know why the works of Michelangelo and related artists always appealed to me. The fact that the human form was made to breathe makes them amazing pieces of art. Thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much for watching! And for the great comment!
I love art but don't really know that much, so these videos are a fantastic addition to my life.
Another extremely interesting, informative, and thought-provoking video from this channel. I can't tell you how much I'm enjoying these videos. Thank you!
Thank you for this video. Now I know that the original Thinker was “The Poet” Dante contemplating the circles of Hell. Fascinating!
More statue videos please! And perhaps architecture?
great video, discovered your channel a few weeks ago and i love how accessible you're making art!
I like how you summarized the video at the end. I wish more creators did this.
This is one of those statues you see and instantly connect with the body language it gives out.
This series is excellent! You manage to provide such a vivid, insightful understanding of the subject matter in 15 minutes. Bravo!
So inspirational! Your channel is just a sheer joy and I'm deeply grateful to you, James! The delivery, right amount of details and facts, background music, calm voice and pace of these videos are perfect; everything feels so balanced. I'm trying not to devour all your videos in a row, although it's a hard task :) I'm a huge fan of modern art and would love to see more such episodes in the future. I hope you will pay attention to the Russian modern art - there are many marvelous pieces that worth consideration. Thank you!
Best wishes from Belarus
I am in love with this chanel. If you take requests I would love to see a video on "the young martyr" by Paul Delaroche but I am so excited for whatever you have planned next
What a great comment - thanks! Got a huge list to get through but I’ll look at the Delaroche - suggestions always gratefully received!
When I was in high school, one of my classmates in an art class created a collage painting of "The Thinker" sitting on the toilet. I would imagine everyone knows what he called it. Anyways, amazing video as always.
There is a great photo of Robin Williams passing the real statue a toilet roll. Thanks for your support and for watching!
Holy shit!
What a joy this channel is.
Thanks 🙏
Your videos are educational and entertaining at the same time! ❤ thank you!!
Brilliant as always. Your series deserves all the praise it's receiving.
No mention of Camille Claudel though?
Thank you James, another wonderful exposition into my favorite subject.
I love your soothing narrative
sooo much I did not know about Rodin but I've always loved his sculptures.
What a glorious melding of great art and poetry! I'm loving this channel!
Your videos are honestly the best!!! It truly makes one appreciate art way deeply they did before 👍👍👍please also explain the last supper if it's possible. It's quite an interesting painting people should know more about 🙏
Thanks SG - much appreciated!
I have been binging all day. Godly Content my friends!
I am so invested in these videos, please don stop
I can’t even begin to express how much I’ve been searching for a channel about art history/criticism. What can I say but bell icon rung.. and if you ever decide on making a Patreon account, I will gladly contribute!
Thank you for you work and research! I’ve loved every single video so far!😊❤️
Well, this is going to be shared with some of my students! Thanks so much for putting something together so well AND keeping it to a reasonable length (teens don't have large attention spans lol).
I’m obsessed with these videos. I wish I had this when I was in high school.
I just read an article about a photographer who sold one of her most popular (and reposted) photos as a Non-Fungible Token, then released the original photo to the public for both re-sharing and commercial use (I don't believe you can create an NFT from the photo, not too sure how that would work.)
For some reason, learning more about Rodin's contributions to art (and specifically playing back 11:40 over and over) made me think of this article and Art's new relationship with NFT's.
Thank you so much for creating these enlightening videos!
This sculpture is really fantastic!
It is! Thanks so much for watching!
Thank you for ‘casting light’ on all the ways art is more than a technique.
In his sculptures I see time. He capteured past present future.
Can I just thankyou for doing all this. I’ve been enjoying each video, learned so many new things about art history and techniques. These videos are perfect!!
This is the most precious channel I have on my subscription list
New subscriber here, I’ve been absolutely loving all your videos!! So much I didn’t know about Rodin but now I do:)
Thanks so much for the lovely comment. And thanks for watching!
Love this peace of art being an artist
I have hit the bell icon to receive notifications for your channel. That's how much I like your videos!
Thank you for the video, great respect to Auguste Rodin as a person and an artist!
another amazing video from you, so fascinating!
Thanks so much!
This man is the Art Teacher to the World.. thank you very much. May we honour you
Oh thanks for the kind comment! 🙏
James, it’s such a joy to have you ! You are doing absolutely incredible work ! Fascinating !
Thank you !
I love this series, hope you keep making more!
More on the way! Thanks!
Completely hooked on this series.. thank you so much for creating such fascinating and interesting series .. cannot wait for more . Keep up the good work
Just discovered your channel today and I've been bingeing them. You're channel is truly entertainment/informative. Awesome work.
Thanks Ricardo
Such concise and fascinating short videos that can give you a quick overall understanding of an artist/ artwork. Thanks for producing! These are great!
I’m so inspired by the content found it this morning and cannot stop watching. Thank you 🙏🏽
You tell a fine story here. Good video, again
Wonderfully crafted series.
I underestimated my ability to appreciate art till now, even though I'm into creative nuances. You deserve more than a thank you.
Even though Rodin's life took place in the late 19th to early 20th century, his journey as an artist still feels relevant today. Now we have a multitude of amazingly talented self-taught digital artists, some of whom are household names on the Internet, who didn't have formal training like Rodin but carved their own path and found their own success.
I rarely make comments…but your videos are simply splendid. Thank you 🙏 🤩
We need more sculptors on this channel
just completely fell in love with a piece of art that I'd never heard of - the dante and his poem, or whatever - from this vid and i cannot thank u enough. pls do a vid on it one day
why have i never seen this before i legit cant stop staring, boutta do a lot of research on this shit
WTF
just realized the dante dude is an actual giant
I'm visiting Hotel Biron this September for 5th time in my life, each one of my visits in Paris includes a Rodin tribute. Now I'm feeling a bit wiser, keep up the great work!
You have made me enjoy art again
Thank you so much for these beautiful and heartfelt videos. I'm so happy to have found this channel.