[56, Auguste Rodin, 1840–1917] From his mansion in Paris, Auguste Rodin brought Impressionism to sculpting. His rough surfaces — rippling with frosting-like texture — were like thick brushstrokes on a canvas, capturing the effect of reflected light on stone or bronze.

[57, The Kiss, Rodin] Rodin made ordinary people seem noble…and their nudity makes them universal. Their restless poses express their deepest emotions. As this passionate woman twines around her solid man, lost in an embrace with a forever kiss, we can almost read the emotions that led up to this meeting of the lips.

[58, The Thinker, 1904, Rodin, Rodin Museum, Paris] Rodin's famous Thinker — leaning forward, tense and compact, every muscle working toward producing that one great thought — captured the intensity of Rodin's own creative process. Said Rodin: "It is a statue of myself."