Life — January 28, 1915 — page 10: what you’re looking at

What you’re looking at

# "The Thinker" and Social Commentary This page features two illustrations captioned "According to Rodin—The Thinker" and "And as We Hear of Him," presenting a satirical contrast between artistic idealism and modern reality. The left image reproduces Rodin's famous sculpture of a contemplative nude male figure. The right image shows a man sitting on stacked books in a similar pose but clothed and appearing comical rather than noble. The satire critiques the gap between romantic artistic visions of intellectual life and actual modern existence. The accompanying essay discusses American character, quoting Lowes Dickinson's observations about American society as "queer," materialistic, and spiritually shallow—implying that contemporary Americans cannot achieve the philosophical depth represented by Rodin's idealized thinker.