Contribution Receipt of the Special American Hospital in Paris for Wounds of the Face and Jaw

François Auguste René Rodin (1840-1917) stands as the founder of modern sculpture, transforming the art form from academic tradition into expressive modernism. Born into a working-class Parisian family, Rodin faced early rejection, failing three times to gain admission to the prestigious École des Beaux-Arts. This setback forced him to work as a craftsman for nearly two decades, though his 1875 trip to Italy proved transformative when encountering Michelangelo's work liberated him from academic constraints.