Michelangelo strongly influenced Auguste Rodin after Rodin’s 1875 visit to Italy.
Rodin traveled through Italy to study Renaissance art, especially the sculpture of Michelangelo. The experience deepened his interest in powerful bodies, dramatic poses, expressive surfaces, and figures that seem to emerge from the material.
Michelangelo’s influence did not mean that Rodin simply copied Renaissance works. Rodin transformed those lessons into a modern sculptural language marked by movement, tension, fragments, and deliberately rough textures.
Rodin’s admiration for Michelangelo also helps explain why his sculpture is often discussed in relation to both classical tradition and modern experimentation. The Italian journey became an important stage in his artistic development.