The Burghers of Calais

The Burghers of Calais. Auguste Rodin. 1884–1895 C.E. Bronze.

• Emotions of abandonment, loneliness, devastation. 
• Rodin was commissioned by the French city of Calais to create a sculpture that commemorated the heroism of Eustache de Saint-Pierre during the dreadful Hundred Years’ War between England and France. 
• We see six men covered only in simple layers of tattered sackcloth; their bodies appearing thin and malnourished with bones and joints clearly visible. 
• Each man is a burgher, or city councilmen, of Calais, and each has their own stance and identifiable features. 
• None of them are making eye contact with the men beside them. Some figures have their heads bowed or their faces obscured by raised hands, while others try to stand tall with their eyes gazing into the distance. 
• They are drawn together not through physical or verbal contact, but by their slumped shoulders, bare feet, and an expression of utter anguish.
• King Edward III made a deal with the citizens of Calais: if they wished to save their lives and their beloved city, then not only must they surrender the keys to the city, but six prominent members of the city council must volunteer to give up their lives. 
• Unbeknownst to the six burghers, at the time of their departure, their lives would eventually be spared. However, here Rodin made the decision to capture these men not when they were finally released, but in the moment that they gathered to leave the city to go to their deaths. Instead of depicting the elation of victory, the threat of death is very real. 
• While these six men, at first glance, may look fragile, the heavy, rhythmic drapery that hangs from their shoulders falls to the ground, anchoring them and creating a mass of strong, unyielding bodies. The fabric appears to almost fused to the ground—conveying the conflict between the men’s desire to live and the need to save their city. 
• Rodin allowed the viewer to easily look up into the men’s faces mere inches from his/her own; enhancing the personal connection between the viewer and the six men. Rodin’s goal was to bring the audience into his sculpture of The Burghers of Calais; he lowered them down to street level so a viewer could easily walk around the sculpture and see each man and each facial expression and feel as if they were a part of the group, personally experiencing the tragic event.
• Each figure individually sculpted, then arranged as artist thought best; figures weak and emaciated; each has different expression, some fearful, others forlorn