Rodin's Sculptures: Exquisite Adornments of Stanford

The Stanford campus is dotted with Auguste Rodin's sculptures. In fact, Stanford has the world's largest collection of Rodin's sculptures outside Paris.

The most prominent as it is located at the Memorial Court is "The Burgers of Calais". The sculpture commemorates the "Hundred Years' War" when Calais, an important French port was captured by the English for more than a year. It depicts the prominent persons of the city on their surrender to the captors.  

  

"The Burghers of Calais" by Auguste Rodin

Write-up of the sculpture

More of Rodin's sculptures can be found at the Rodin's Sculpture Garden located beside the Cantor Arts Center. The Cantor Arts Center itself showcases to the public its 200 collections of Rodin's sculptures.   

The Three Shades

Martyr

The Gates of Hell

Write-up of the "Gates of Hell"

Meditation

Meditation

Fallen Caryatid Carrying Her Stone

Orpheus

Claude Lorrain

Jules Bastien-Lepage

The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Foundation, the benefactor of Cantor Arts Center mentioned in its website that Rodin's "pioneering work is a crucial link between traditional and modern art."

In my personal experience seeing Rodin's works, I feel both the grim and glee of being human. But in itself, whatever angle you are looking, the sculptures same as life has meaning.