...he made me come and go from his studio so as to see me from different angles. Finally he asked me to adopt a natural posture and to place myself as I liked. I sat on a chair, in the most simple and natural position, resting my arms on my legs ... Rodin liked that position and immediately began to work ... with an infinite sense of detail
Similar works
During the same period Rodin also produced The American Athlete, with more exaggerated musculature and its head turned to the right. He presented both works to their model. Despite several variants, they are both lesser-known works of Rodin.[5]
Another version of this bronze called "The Athlete" (1901-4, cast 1959), with the head turned to the left, is preserved at The Kreeger Museum in Washington D.C. It measures 18 x 13 x 12 1/2 inches (45,7 x 33,0 x 31,7 cm).[6]