Rodin's "The Thinker" (Le Penseur)

I've always enjoyed making things out of Lego that don't feel like Lego — studless designs that emulate the subtle, continuous curves of real-world objects. For this, the human form is maybe the most difficult subject. Here, I chose to interpret the work of one of the most significant sculptors in history: Auguste Rodin. Rodin pushed the boundaries of what was possible in modern sculpture, embracing the depths of human expression rather than adhering to contemporary trends of creating primarily decorative art. His work remains relevant even to the present day, over a century after his death.

Among Rodin's works, The Thinker is surely the best known. It presents a highly evocative image — a lone figure engaged in deep contemplation as he sits on a rock. Though most famous now as an independent work, The Thinker's titular man was originally conceived as only one small part of a monumental bronze doorway. In that work (known in French as La Porte de l'Enfer), he sits surrounded by many other figures in collective representation of a scene from Dante's Inferno. Although the museum it was first commissioned for never came to be built, casts of the sculpture now occupy several museums throughout the world.

Since its first creation, countless casts of the sculpture's central figure — The Thinker — have been created for independent exhibition. I chose to draw inspiration from one in particular: the original lone bronze, now exhibited in the sculpture garden at the Musée Rodin in Paris. As well as the statue itself, I've also included a recreation of its plinth, slightly shortened in order to permit easier display as an independent decoration.

Thank you for viewing my design — I hope you'll support its realization as a Lego set!

~ ZAP

　Overall: 14 x 15 x 28cm / 5.5 x 6 x 11in

　Statue height: 17cm / 6.5in

　Plinth height: 11cm / 4.5in