--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As we know, Rilke, under the influence of…" description: "\"“As we know, Rilke, under the influence of Auguste Rodin, whom he had assisted between 1905 and 1906 in Meudon as a private secretary, turned away from..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/peter-sloterdijk-8761_art_as-we-know-rilke-under-the-influence-of_912135.png" --- # As we know, Rilke, under the influence of Auguste Rodin… ![“As we know, Rilke, under the influence of Auguste Rodin, whom he had assisted between 1905 and 1906 in Meudon as a private secretary, turned away from the art nouveau-like, sensitized-atmospheric poetic approach of his early years to pursue a view of art determined more strongly by the priority of…” quote by Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/peter-sloterdijk-8761_art_as-we-know-rilke-under-the-influence-of_912135.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/peter-sloterdijk-8761_art_as-we-know-rilke-under-the-influence-of_912135.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eca/peter-sloterdijk-8761_art_as-we-know-rilke-under-the-influence-of_912135.png) > ““As we know, Rilke, under the influence of Auguste Rodin, whom he had assisted between 1905 and 1906 in Meudon as a private secretary, turned away from the art nouveau-like, sensitized-atmospheric poetic approach of his early years to pursue a view of art determined more strongly by the priority of the object. The proto-modern pathos of making way for the object without depicting it in a manner 'true to nature', like that of the old masters, led in Rilke's case to the concept of the thing-poem - and thus to a temporarily convincing new answer to the question of the source of aesthetic and ethical authority. From that point, it would be the things themselves from which all authority would come - or rather: from this respectively current singular thing that turns to me by demanding my full gaze. This is only possible because thing-being would now no longer mean anything but this: having something to say.”” [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Rilke shifted from atmospheric poetry to object-focused art, proposing that authority comes from the thing itself demanding full attention. **In simple terms:** Authority arises from focusing on the object itself. Key Takeaway Shift focus to the object’s inherent meaning. Themes art philosophy authority Mood analytical thoughtful Type philosophical critical When to use this quote - art criticism - creative writing - philosophical study Key Concepts objectivity aesthetic authority thing-poem Questions to Reflect On - How does focusing on objects change artistic expression? - Can object‑centered art convey emotion? A Different Perspective Object focus may ignore contextual nuance. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Authority](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/authority/) [Poetry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/poetry/) [Rodin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rodin/) [Thing-poem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-poem/) ## Related quotes > [“We know from accounts of Rilke's life that his stay in Rodin's workshops taught him how modern sculpture had advanced to the genre of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/we-know-from-accounts-of-rilke-s-life-that-his-stay-in-rodin-s/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“What appears in the former statue of Apollo, however, cannot simply be equated with the Olympian of the same name, who had to ensure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/what-appears-in-the-former-statue-of-apollo-however-cannot-simply-be/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“In the midst of the ubiquitous dealings with prostituted signs, the thing-poem was capable of opening up the prospect of returning to credible experiences…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/in-the-midst-of-the-ubiquitous-dealings-with-prostituted-signs-the/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“This gesture is one of the motifs of modernity's turn against the principle of imitating nature, that is to say, imitating predefined morphological expectations.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/this-gesture-is-one-of-the-motifs-of-modernity-s-turn-against-the/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“What the poet has to say to the torso of the supposed Apollo, however, is more than a note on an excursion to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/what-the-poet-has-to-say-to-the-torso-of-the-supposed-apollo-however/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“In his field, and with his means, Rilke carries out an operation that one could philosophically describe as the 'transformation of being into message'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/in-his-field-and-with-his-means-rilke-carries-out-an-operation-that/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“I receive the reward for my willingness to participate in the object-subject reversal in the form of a private illumination - in the present…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/i-receive-the-reward-for-my-willingness-to-participate-in-the-object/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“The reason for the existence of the perfection conjured up in these fourteen lines is that it possesses ... the authorization to form a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/the-reason-for-the-existence-of-the-perfection-conjured-up-in-these/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“It is clear enough that not every something can be elevated to the rank of a thing - otherwise everything and everyone would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/it-is-clear-enough-that-not-every-something-can-be-elevated-to-the/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“Anybody can look at a pretty girl and see a pretty girl. 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I said, 'Because I can't do that.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dustin-hoffman/i-walked-out-of-the-theater-and-started-crying-my-wife-asked-me-why/) [Dustin Hoffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dustin-hoffman/) > [I was in a garden at the Rodin Museum. For a few minutes I was alone, sitting on a bench between two long hedges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-howe/i-was-in-a-garden-at-the-rodin-museum-for-a-few-minutes-i-was-alone/) [Irving Howe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-howe/) ## More by Peter Sloterdijk > [“Cultural criticism always attacks the mass media. I don't think that makes sense. 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The magic of these struggles is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/in-his-treatise-on-the-battles-between-the-gods-underlying-ancient/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“It is not sufficient, he emphasized, to colour (colorare) the mind with wisdom; it must be pickled (macerare) in it, as it were, soaked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/it-is-not-sufficient-he-emphasized-to-colour-colorare-the-mind-with/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“What appears in the former statue of Apollo, however, cannot simply be equated with the Olympian of the same name, who had to ensure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/what-appears-in-the-former-statue-of-apollo-however-cannot-simply-be/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“This much should be clear by now: the term 'renaissance' can only remain fruitful and demanding as long as it refers to a far-reaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/this-much-should-be-clear-by-now-the-term-renaissance-can-only-remain/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“As the following pages deal with the practising life, they lead - in accordance with their topic - to an expedition into the little-explored…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-sloterdijk/as-the-following-pages-deal-with-the-practising-life-they-lead-in/) [Peter Sloterdijk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-sloterdijk/) > [“Something is indeed returning today - but the conventional wisdom that this is religion making its reappearance is insufficient to satisfy critical inquiries. 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You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/) [Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/) > [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/) Taf Teh > [The house has to serve comfort. 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The proto-modern pathos of making way for the object without depicting it in a manner 'true to nature', like that of the old masters, led in Rilke's case to the concept of the thing-poem - and thus to a temporarily convincing new answer to the question of the source of aesthetic and ethical authority. From that point, it would be the things themselves from which all authority would come - or rather: from this respectively current singular thing that turns to me by demanding my full gaze. 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