A face illuminates the path from the Rhatigan Student Center to Neff Hall, yet some argue it darkens its surroundings.

Freshman Nicholas Lee emphasized with the misery emanating from the 1906 Bust of Renoir Aristide Maillol sculpture, which he explained does not reflect upon his facial expression, but rather comes from the confines of his mind.

“He’s got deep sorrow on his mind,” Lee said. “But it’s not just regular things — he’s got something higher on his mind, and he’s contemplating it. He’s got deep sorrow in him.”

On the other hand, graduate student Jose Crosa explained the meaning within the sculpture, as well as the message it conveys.

“In reality, it comforts me. The sheer simplicity of it reminds that at the end of the day, there’s this man who all it does all day is stare blankly to the future,” Crosa said. “And he doesn’t complain. It’s just there, carrying on day after day, without another care in the world.

“In a way, it resembles the internal struggle we all carry deep within our minds, that makes us wonder who we are and why we are here. It stares with its charcoal-black eyes, the darkness of the ignorance of the human condition. I also find it neat.”

Alumnus John Truong finds complete disinterest in the sculpture, given its generic qualities and lack of subtext.

“I really couldn’t care less,” Truong said. “I mean, it definitely looks like Renoir, and it’s a bust. I find busts boring, as well as conventional art. I mean, it looks like who it is. Big deal. Single dimensions. I mean, it’s like taking pictures of nature that have no context besides the fact that ‘it looks pretty.’

“Yes, it is appealing, or accurate, or whatever, but those are measurable in a sense that is unappealing to me. I don’t think of anything when I look at the sculpture besides ‘Yep, that’s Renoir.’ Maybe as far as I can muster in thinking about it is, man, he likes hats. He also looks really tired.”

While a handful of students might possess different opinions on the bust, its origin is quite simple — Pierre-Auguste Renoir just wanted his friend to sculpt him, which in turn inspired him to pursue the same art form.