No Need to Jump on the Subway With Art This Close to Home

Every stop on the 1 line is a journey into a different world. 168th Street is an encounter with Latin America, full of Spanish-speaking grandfathers and Dominican eateries.

Christopher Street becomes an oasis for the hip of Manhattan, with a Marc Jacobs boutique and Magnolia Bakery only steps away.

116th Street is certainly no exception to this “other world” phenomenon. Enter Columbia’s campus, and more chaos ensues. And with finals only days away, frenzied students opt for sleepless nights at Butler, with no moment to rest and enjoy the last few weeks of New York, the Museum of Modern Art, or the Whitney Museum of American Art. Luckily, at Columbia, this fear of a “culture-less” last few days can be easily remedied.

I often wonder if students realize the amount of artwork that can be found on our campus. From Alma Mater to the Sundial, we are constantly surrounded by art. But the art that excites me the most cannot be found on the steps of Low or outside of Hamilton Hall.

Exactly one minute away from Alma Mater, on the overpass which connects the School of International and Public Affairs to campus houses is an assortment of artistic wonders. At first, viewers encounter Kees Verkade’s Tightrope Walker. The Dutch artist and sculptor is known for emphasizing movement and motion in his works, and this sculpture is certainly no exception. The two slim figures, one on top of the other, dangerously attempt to balance themselves on a tightrope. The figure that stands on the shoulders of the other looks down at the rope, hesitantly utilizing his long, lanky arms to stabilize himself in his perilous position.

Across from the Tightrope Walkers, Henry Moore’s gargantuan Three-Way Piece: Points rests its three “feet” on a cylindrical pedestal. Resembling a gigantic tooth, the bronze sculpture is massive, utilizing various shapes and edges. Although the sculpture seems smooth, it actually uses texture, such as the claw-like scratches dug in between the curves of the structure. The top of the piece has naturally turned green. Cast in 1965, Three-Way Piece: Points was meant to be shown outside like all of Moore’s sculptures. But the pollution in New York has made the sculpture deteriorate at a rapid pace.

One of the most amazing sculptures ever made hides behind St. Paul’s Chapel, facing its contorted back to the entrance of Philosophy Hall. At this juncture, Auguste Rodin’s Thinker sits on a stone. The Thinker’s left arm falls onto his lap, while the legs blend into the stool on which that he sits. All around, we can see Rodin’s finger prints imbedded in the bronze cast, the indentations of a true master.

Rodin, the prolific 19th-century French sculptor, created this sculpture for the entranceway at the Musée des Arts décoratifs. Rodin based his heroic male nude on The Divine Comedy, portraying Dante at the gates of Hell creating his epic poem. With over 20 casts made of this one sculpture throughout the world, The Thinker is undoubtedly Rodin’s most famous work.

It is also one of my favorite pieces of artwork in the world. The sculpture fills me with awe—how could Rodin have sculpted something so emotional, so real? It makes me curious—what is this thinker thinking about? And although the original in Paris’ Musée Rodin is a sight to see, I find this sculpture more naturally suited to the lawn in front of Philosophy Hall. Surrounded by books and buildings filled with students, The Thinker is in his perfect environment, among others who are thinking as much as—if not more than—he is.

Hannah Yudkin is a sophomore at Barnard College majoring in art history and political science. Art on the 1 runs alternate Fridays.