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How did William Blake’s art influence Auguste Rodin’s plans for The Gates of Hell?

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Portrait of Auguste Rodin standing indoors, wearing a buttoned, two-toned coat with a full beard and tousled hair, looking slightly to the side. — Auguste Rodin French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Auguste Rodin’s original plans for The Gates of Hell were initially modeled after the 15th-century Renaissance doors created by Lorenzo Ghiberti. However, these plans were profoundly altered following Rodin’s visit to London in 1881.1

During this trip, Rodin viewed various Pre-Raphaelite works inspired by Dante, but he was most significantly influenced by the hallucinatory art of William Blake. Under this influence, Rodin transformed his vision for the monument. He moved away from his initial concept to create a design that revealed a universe of convulsed forms, specifically depicting figures tormented by love, pain, and death. This new framework served as the foundation for many of his independent sculptural works, including his famous piece, The Thinker, which was originally conceived as a portrait of Dante for the upper portion of the doors.1