‘The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach’ (Acts 1:1).
Auguste Rodin is one of the most famous artists of the last few centuries, specifically in the field of sculpting. If you are unfamiliar with his name, perhaps you will recognise his most famous piece, The Thinker. The statue was originally a part of a series of sculptures based on Dante’s Inferno. Initially small in size, The Thinker was eventually recast into the monument-size work that most of us would recognise. Today, different versions of this pensive piece can be found around the world in places like Paris, San Francisco, Buenos Aires, and Stockholm.
In fact, not all versions of The Thinker that are in the world today were made in Rodin’s lifetime. The Encyclopedia Britannica notes that: ‘Enlargements of Rodin’s original clay figures were mostly executed by his studio assistants.’ That’s right, Rodin acted as the designer and his assistants carried out his vision. Yet these pieces are still considered works of Rodin. Art historian Didier Rykner put it this way: ‘Legally, they are originals.’
