Photo Friday: "The Thinker" ponders life in Detroit

One of the most memorable stops we made when we went to Paris, France, a number of years ago was visiting the Musée Rodin and seeing the big bronze statue of The Thinker in the gardens there.

The iconic statue is one of Rodin's most well-known works, originally created in 1880-1882.

I suppose it is only fitting that a cast of The Thinker is one of the best-known icons in a city known as the Paris of the West during the late 1800s for its beautiful architecture and spacious public areas. I'm talking, of course, about Detroit!

Detroit's 2,000-pound bronze cast of The Thinker sits on a 12,000-pound granite base in front of the city's Institute of Arts, where I took these photos. Our Thinker is one of about 20 large-scale casts of the original statue that now sit at a number of museums throughout the world.

Horace H. Rackham, an early Ford Motor Company stockholder, left his mark on Detroit with generous philanthropic gifts that included donating land to the Detroit Zoo (where a fountain bears his name), giving Detroit the land for the Rackham Golf Course in Huntington Woods, and gifting the city's art museum with The Thinker.

The Detroit Museum of Art, which opened in 1888 on Jefferson Avenue near the riverfront, was The Thinker's first home in the city. The statue sat in front of the museum from the time Rackham donated it in 1922 until the opening of the larger Detroit Institute of Arts in the Midtown area on Woodward in 1927.

The Thinker sat inside of the newer museum's Great Hall when it first opened, but the statue subsequently moved outside in front of the main entrance. The Thinker became a Detroit fixture, pondering life along another Metro area icon-Woodward, an officially designated All-American Road.

The Thinker is such an institution in Detroit that it was big news in 2007 when museum officials allowed the statue to move across the state for a summer stay in Meijer Gardens while the DIA extensive underwent renovations. Wonder what he thought of that trip?

Still, I'm happy to see The Thinker back in his customary Woodward perch and share these photos with you.

Thanks to Debbie Dubrow of Delicious Baby for creating and coordinating Photo Friday to link travel photos and blog posts across the Web.

© Dominique King 2010 All rights reserved

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Comments

[Wanderluster]

Oh boy. I can only imagine what he's pondering right now :-)

[Carolina]

I like a pensive man. There's one in front of the Legion of Honor Art Museum in San Francisco too. But the museum is on top of a hill, not near anything else.

[Cate]

Love love love Rodin's work. I regret not visiting this place. The thinker always looks a little depressed to me. But it's just as mystic as Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.

[gypsyscarlett]

I've never been that much into sculpture, (it usally doesn't affect me the way paintings do) but that piece really is amazing. He really seems like a real person in the midst of thought.

[Dominique King]

Wanderluster-Hopefully he's thinking about some good things. The DIA is in Midtown--also home to the Detroit Historical Society Museum, the gorgeous main branch of the Detroit Public Library, Wayne State University (I'm a proud 2x grad from there), and right on Woodward (with its official All-American Road designation). :)

Carolina-The DIA is in the heart of Detroit's Midtown/cultural center, so it's a pretty busy location.

Cate-He does seem to have a sort of sad air about him, doesn't he? Hopefully his mood will improve with the weather :lol:

Gypsy-I know what you mean about paintings vs. sculpture, but this piece really is exceptional.

[maria]

Great shots of an amazing statue. I like the enigmatic expression of the Thinker, I can really see Cate's comparison with Da vinci's Mona Lisa.

[Lorraine]

I'm trying to imagine a modern day version. Unfortunately what comes to mind is his gaze focused down on a Blackberry. We need more Thinkers around - to keep us on track!

[Dominique King]

Maria-You really can see his expression when you have the chance to take a closer look at him, can't you?

Lorraine-Yup, I think you're right about the Blackberry...or, probably right now...and iPad :lol: