He's a masterpiece among us — the real deal.
The Thinker statue that sits in front of Grawemeyer Hall is the first large-scale bronze cast of The Thinker. French sculptor Auguste Rodin personally supervised the casting in Paris. It came out of the mold Dec. 25, 1903, and was completed in early 1904. The Thinker design has been cast many times. Eight were made before Rodin's death in 1917.
As the first large-scale Thinker ever cast, UofL's Thinker claims priority as the most original.
He has been around.
Rodin sent The Thinker to the 1904 World's Fair. It was owned privately in Baltimore and later was displayed in the Walters Art Museum there. When Baltimore purchased another Thinker, the museum sold the sculpture to the estate of lawyer and art lover Arthur Hopkins, which bought it for the city of Louisville. The city decided to put The Thinker at UofL. The Thinker has sat in front of Grawemeyer Hall since 1949.
He used to be green.
Chemical reactions of acids in rainwater with copper compounds in the bronze had turned our Thinker green. Between December 2011 and February 2012, conservators cleaned the corrosion and gave him a black-over-green patina similar to that on other versions of The Thinker.
He's recognized everywhere.
Many art historians consider The Thinker to be the most famous sculpture in the world. Its image has been used in media campaigns and it even played an important role in the early days of television when it was incorporated in a popular TV show called "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis," set on a college campus.
The Thinker goes way back.
The origins of The Thinker date to 1880. Rodin originally conceived of The Thinker as a statue to be installed at the top of a pair of monumental doors he'd been commissioned to design for a museum of decorative arts. He envisioned the figure as "The Inferno" poet Dante looking down on hell. Rodin called the entire piece The Gates of Hell. Rodin refined the design over the next 20 years, although it never served its original purpose.
Augmented Reality (AR) Thinker
Now, with our augmented reality (AR) Thinker, you can keep a piece of UofL with you wherever you are. You can snap a photo with the AR Thinker in your house, backyard, even with your friends and fellow Cardinals fans. If you want to be in a photo with the AR Thinker, have someone ready to take your photo for you. (He’s a little shy when it comes to selfies, but he loves photo bombs.)
How to take a photo with the AR Thinker
Commemorate special events such as graduation. Pose with him after finishing a virtual tour of campus to picture yourself as a fellow Cardinal. Bring the Thinker into your workspace, adding a bit of UofL flair while you work remotely. Create a little friendly competition among coworkers, family and friends to see who can take the most creative picture with the Thinker.
However you decide to show your Cardinal spirit, you'll be in good company.
1
Grab your phone.
Open this page on your mobile phone. Click on the white icon at the bottom right of the black box with the 3D model of the Thinker statue in it to launch the AR Thinker.
2
Get in position.
Move your phone around until the Thinker lands in the frame.
3
Get creative!
Let your imagination go wild. Throw your L, pose pensively or simply smile.
4
Capture the moment.
Tap the white button at the bottom center of the screen to take the photo.
5
Show off.
Voila! Your photos will be automatically saved to your camera roll for you to save and send to all of your Cardinal family. Share your photos on social media with #UofLThinker so we can see all the amazing things he and our Cardinal Community are up to beyond our campus.