Art Appreciation Short Analysis Rodin – The Sculptor By Vanessa (Nhi) Huynh 210372 The artwork to be analysed in this essay is called Burgher’s of Calais by Auguste Rodin. Auguste Rodin was a famous French artist who specialized in sculptors. He was born on November 12, 1840 and died on November 17, 1917. Rodin used various mediums including bronze and marble into creating his sculptures. The Burgher’s of Calais represents the six men displayed on the sculpture dressed in robes, barefooted and hanging a noose around their necks, standing on a platform.
These men were from a town called Calais. During the lifetime of these men, England invaded France and took over many parts of the country. The French citizens were at loss and we’re desperate in need for food and water. Then, six men offered themselves as hostages sacrificing themselves to save the whole nation. These men were known as the Burghers whose names were Eustache de Saint-Pierre, Jean d’ Aire, Jacques de Wiessant, Pierre de Wiessant, Jean de Fiennes and Andrieu d’ Andres.
The King accepted them as hostages but ordered them to become barefooted, wore a plain robes with nooses hanging around them, the reason being was the King wanted to acknowledge them as people who have been defeated and that he had more power. Rodin wanted the Burgher’s to be at ground level, for the sculpture to stand securely. All sculptures are made in the round as it can be observed and viewed from every angle. The height of each Burgher is varied but still very similar, not too short or too tall from one another.
The Essay on ''The Thinker'' Sculpture By Auguste Rodin
The Thinker was a sculpture created by Auguste Rodin in 1882. It was originally made of plaster, but other recreations of it are made of bronze. The Thinker was originally part of The Gates of Hell, which represented the poet Dante as he contemplated writing The Divine Comedy. The size of the statue varies between the many copies, but the original was around 2 feet. The original Thinker had a ...
Pierre de Wiessant is the figure that stands out one of the most on the platform compared to the other Burghers. He appears to be looking downwards with his right hand raise to just about 90 degrees and his back nearly curved. Eustache de Saint-Pierre, the leader of the group is positioned around the middle of the platform and is the least hidden of the Burgher’s, as he can be seen directly. He has the longest hair of the group and also has facial hair including a moustache and a beard. His head is lowered towards the ground.
Jean d’ Aire is positioned the furthest right when observed from the front view, he is standing upright and looking out to the distance. Pierre de Wiessant, can be seen clearly from side view, he is standing with his upper body in a curved position and has his right hand placed on his face. Andrieu d’ Andres, has his back slightly curved with both hands covering his face and one of his foot is elevated higher than the other. Jacques de Wiessant is looking out towards the distance and has his left leg slightly bent.
Lastly, Jean de Fiennes has a round head and his spreading both hands out and is standing straight. Each figure in the sculpture displays emotions to show their pain, hesitation and doubt to conviction and determination. The artist has used a lot of texture in the artwork therefore it was easy to verify what each part of the figure was. The body was smoothed but still clearly showed the features, whereas the clothing and hair was rough, finely detailed in 3-Dimensional effects.
Rodin wanted to acknowledge how extraordinary the Burgher’s were to sacrifice themselves for the people of France. Although they were rich, they had also thought about the nation and putting themselves as hostages to provide food and water for the people. The sculpture is well-formed and has a very interesting, meaningful story behind it. I personally liked how the artist displayed each Burgher in different places instead of a straight line, as it can be viewed from every angle. Another thing I liked is how the Burgher’s are very detailed which clearly shows each feature and emotions.
