Walking Man - Pasadena, CA
Posted by: Metro2
N 34° 08.774 W 118° 09.519
11S E 393182 N 3778976
This sculpture is a replica of Auguste Rodin's 1878 work.
Waymark Code: WMH3YG
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 05/18/2013
Views: 3
Located outside the entrance to the Norton Simon Museum (and not requiring an admission ticket), this 1905 replica (cast 7 of 12) of the 1878 bronze Auguste Rodin work depicts a lifesized naked, headless and armless man taking a long stride.
The Museum's website (
visit link) adds:
"Auguste Rodin
French, 1840-1917
Bronze, Edition of 12, Cast No. 7
83-3/4 x 28 x 60-1/2 in. (212.7 x 71.1 x 174.0 cm)"
Wikipedia (
visit link) adds:
"The Walking Man (L'homme qui marche in French) is a bronze sculpture by the French sculptor Auguste Rodin. It was created by Rodin during 1877 and 1878.
The best example of Rodin’s ‘sketchy’ impressionist sculpture also happens to be his most well-known ‘incomplete’ figure. This work personifies the latter part of Rodin’s career: the dynamic pose of a partial figure. Deriving much from Rodin’s earlier work St. John the Baptist Preaching, including the powerful stance, Rodin had stripped all academic associations from his figure, and instead focused on what he considered essential: the dynamic pose.
According to the bibliography supplied by the National Gallery of Art, The Walking Man is a version of St. John without head and arms. This sculpture, which used to be considered a preliminary study for the complete Baptist, was based on the movement of that piece. According to Albert Elsen and Henry Moore's suggestions, The Walking Man was created for the purpose of a Roman or Greek art without the any live reference."