Auguste Rodin was a French artist widely regarded as the father of Modern sculpture. Known for his expressive depictions of the human form in bronze and marble, Rodin is responsible for such iconic works as The Kiss (c. 1882) and The Thinker (1902). “To any artist, worthy of the name, all in nature is beautiful, because his eyes, fearlessly accepting all exterior truth, read there, as in an open book, all the inner truth,” he once explained. Born François-Auguste-René Rodin on November 12, 1840 in Paris, France, he studied decorative arts and sculpture at an early age, but was rejected by the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. By the age of 19, after failing to gain admittance three times,...