Pierre de Wissant at The Musée Rodin, Paris

myminifactory

In 1884, Calais's mayor commissioned Auguste Rodin to create a monument honoring the city's citizens. The work, titled The Burghers of Calais, was inspired by an episode in the Hundred Years' War, when six burghers bravely saved Calais from total destruction and ended the English siege. Barefoot and dressed in gunny sacks with nooses around their necks, they surrendered to the King of England. Rodin's unique approach involved sculpting each burgher separately and placing them on the same level as the viewer. This innovative technique is exemplified in Pierre de Wissant, Burgher of Calais, a strikingly realistic representation. The figure's tormented posture, expressive gesture, and beautifully modeled surface evoke a sense of desperation and drama. Today, Auguste Rodin is recognized for revolutionizing sculpture, but his work was heavily criticized during his lifetime. Although he completed the monument in 1886, it wasn't erected until 1895, on a pedestal rather than at the viewer's level as intended by the artist. The pedestal was removed in 1924, seven years after Rodin's passing. On Pierre De Wissant's slow march towards death, he turns and lifts his right arm, releasing a bird from its grasp.