Topic 3 - 'Burghers of Calais', Auguste Rodin, 1884-95

a scene from which war?

100 years war

who was the war between?

France and England

what happened in 1347?

the city of Calais was besieged by the English

How long were the Calais citizens left starving?

11 months

what were the Calais citizens forced to do after 11 months?

bargain with the king

who were the burghers led by?

Eustache de Saint-Pierre

what did some one the citizens offer to place themselves as?

at the king's mercy to save their city

who was the king of England at the time?

King Edward III

how many burghers were there?

six

where did the burghers travel to and what did they wear?

travelled to the English camp wearing only sackcloths, with ropes around their necks, barefoot, and carrying the city keys

why were the burghers spared?

the king's pregnant wife, Philippa, believed it would cause bad omens for her unborn baby

who commissioned the sculpture and when?

the mayor of Calais, Omer Dewavrin, in sept. 1884

why was it commissioned?

as a tribute to the heroism of Eustache de Saint Pierre and his companions

where was the sculpture first exhibited?

on a high pedestal in the Richelieu Garden in Calais

How did Rodin intend the sculpture to be present upon?

a low 12-in platform

what is the material and why is it efficient?

bronze, good to an external sculpture, it is durable and resilient to the elements while giving an expensive public commission

how was the sculpture made?

the lost wax process

how did Rodin prepare to make the sculpture?

extensive drawings, maquettes (evident through individuality of expression and gesture), working from live models, draping them in cloth soaked in slip to allude to a garment, all figures were then joined together in the final artwork

how is the process evident on the final piece?

finger marks and prints from the earlier clay models

when are the men depicted in the story?

the moment of departure, facing their deaths on the way to the English king

how are the six figures placed?

naturalistically grouped one behind the other in a loose circle

the composition is not...

hierarchical, Rodin eschews the pyramidal forms that typically delineated the most important figures

what is the scale of each figure?

slightly over life-size

how are the men faced and positioned?

in different directions and positions

the limbs can be extended out from the bodies of some of the figures for expressive purpose, why is that?

due to the high tensile strength of bronze

are figures have similar...

physiques and are malnourished, amplified by their garments draping their forms

the figures hands and feet are...

slightly enlarged, highlighting the weight of the situation, physically weighting them down

each man reacts differently expression emotions of...

pain, hesitation, doubt, determination and indecision, they are not examples of unqualified bravery in war

Eustache de Saint Pierre is...

raised slightly on a low platform rising out of a shallow plinth, not glorified in a manner expected by the Calais council

this subject matter would have resonated with the contemporary events in France, what were these events?

between sept. 1870 and jan. 1871 Paris was subject to a 4 moth siege by the Kingdom of Prussia, Paris established a radical government, the Paris Commune, and took over the city. Government troops fought back and there was a civil war, short-lived, damaging Paris