Thinker in the Rain
There are copies of Auguste Rodin' bronze sculpture 'The Thinker' all over the world. Originally sculpted and cast in 1902 by Rodin, it is the statue of a nude male figure of over life-size proportion sitting on a rock with his chin resting on one hand as though deep in thought and is often used as an image to represent philosophy.
This particular casting of The Thinker is one of only several commissioned during Rodin's lifetime (1840-1917). It was donated to the Palace of The Legion of Honor in San Francisco, California by Alma de Bretteville Spreckels (1881-1968) and her husband Adolph B. Spreckels (1857-1924), the sugar magnate. Alma was introduced to Rodin by their mutual friend, the dancer Loïe Fuller. A 1904 cast of The Thinker and a cast of John the Baptist were two of the earliest acquisitions of Rodin sculptures that Alma Spreckels purchased, mostly from Rodin himself, who helped her select works from his studio, shortly before his death in 1917.
One hundred years later, I photographed Rodin' famous statue and Alma's donation on a rainy day in the courtyard of San Francisco's Legion of Honor.
Thinker in the Rain
There are copies of Auguste Rodin' bronze sculpture 'The Thinker' all over the world. Originally sculpted and cast in 1902 by Rodin, it is the statue of a nude male figure of over life-size proportion sitting on a rock with his chin resting on one hand as though deep in thought and is often used as an image to represent philosophy.
This particular casting of The Thinker is one of only several commissioned during Rodin's lifetime (1840-1917). It was donated to the Palace of The Legion of Honor in San Francisco, California by Alma de Bretteville Spreckels (1881-1968) and her husband Adolph B. Spreckels (1857-1924), the sugar magnate. Alma was introduced to Rodin by their mutual friend, the dancer Loïe Fuller. A 1904 cast of The Thinker and a cast of John the Baptist were two of the earliest acquisitions of Rodin sculptures that Alma Spreckels purchased, mostly from Rodin himself, who helped her select works from his studio, shortly before his death in 1917.
One hundred years later, I photographed Rodin' famous statue and Alma's donation on a rainy day in the courtyard of San Francisco's Legion of Honor.