In 1915, just two years before his death, the legendary French sculptor Auguste Rodin became the subject of a rare motion picture filmed by actor Sacha Guitry and his cameraman for the documentary series "Ceux de Chez Nous" ("Those of Our Land"). The grainy black-and-white footage captures the 74-year-old artist walking down weed-covered stone steps and working inside his studio, methodically chipping away at a marble statue with hammer and chisel. This precious film record offers one of the only visual documents of Rodin actually engaged in the creative process that made him one of history's most influential sculptors.

The setting for much of the footage was the Hôtel Biron, a palatial but deteriorating mansion located in Paris that Rodin had occupied since 1909. Originally built as a private residence in the early 18th century, the building had served as a Catholic school for girls from 1820 until approximately 1904, when French law made it illegal to use public funds for religious education. Once the nuns departed, the grand mansion's rooms were rented out to a fascinating mix of creative figures, including painter Henri Matisse, dancer Isadora Duncan, writer Jean Cocteau, and poet Rainer Maria Rilke, who worked briefly as Rodin's secretary. It was actually Rilke's wife, sculptor Clara Westhoff Rilke, who first introduced Rodin to the property in 1909.

When Rodin learned that developers planned to divide and sell off the Hôtel Biron, he negotiated an extraordinary agreement with the French government. In exchange for donating his entire collection of sculptures, drawings, and artistic works to the French state, Rodin would be permitted to live in the mansion rent-free for the remainder of his life. After his death in 1917, the estate would be transformed into the Musée Rodin, a public museum dedicated to preserving and displaying his art. This arrangement made Rodin the sole resident of the sprawling Hôtel Biron during the years when Guitry filmed him there, giving the artist complete control over the mansion's vast rooms and gardens.

Rodin's working method, captured in this 1915 film, reflected his famous philosophy about sculpture. When asked how he created his statues, the artist explained his deceptively simple approach: "I choose a block of marble and chop off whatever I don't need." This statement revealed his sculptural vision, which emphasized the idea of liberating forms already contained within the stone rather than imposing external designs upon it. The footage shows him engaged in this labor-intensive process, using traditional tools to slowly reveal the figure hidden within the marble. Rodin was known for obsessive attention to detail and would often work on single pieces for years, occasionally abandoning them if they did not meet his exacting standards.

The 1915 film of Rodin represents a rare window into the working life of one of the nineteenth century's most significant artists. Rodin had revolutionized sculpture through works like "The Thinker" and "The Kiss," moving away from rigid classical forms toward more expressive, psychologically complex figures. By the time this film was made, Rodin's reputation was already secure, but the documentary provided audiences with something precious: visual proof of how this master actually worked. The footage survives as part of film history and art history, connecting viewers directly to the physical practice of creation performed by a man whose influence on modern sculpture remains profound and enduring.