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Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu (29 September 1833 – 21 April 1891) was a French
Following Pradier's death in 1852 Chapu began studying with another sculptor, Francisque Duret. After coming in second in 1851, he won the Joan of Arc
@ James Madison University.
Henri-Michel-Antoine Chapu (29 September 1833 – 21 April 1891) was a French sculptor
Sculpture is the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions. Sculpture is the three-dimensional art work which is physically presented in the dimensions of height, width and depth. It is one of the plastic arts. Durable sc ...
in a modified Neoclassical tradition who was known for his use of allegory in his work.
Life and career
Born inLe Mée-sur-Seine
Le Mée-sur-Seine (, literally ''Le Mée on Seine'') is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France, next to Melun. It is located in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris from the center.
Geogra ...
into modest circumstances, Chapu moved to Paris with his family and in 1847 entered the Petit École with the intention of studying drawing and becoming an interior decorator. There his talents began to be recognized and he was admitted to the École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...
in 1849. In 1850 he began working and studying with a well-known sculptor James Pradier
James Pradier (born Jean-Jacques Pradier, ; 23 May 1790 – 4 June 1852) was a Genevan-born French sculpture, sculptor best known for his work in the neoclassicism, neoclassical style.
Life and work
Born in Geneva (then Republic of Geneva), Prad ...
.
Following Pradier's death in 1852 Chapu began studying with another sculptor, Francisque Duret. After coming in second in 1851, he won the Prix de Rome
The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...
in 1855, then spent five years in Italy.
His statues ''Mercury'' of 1861 and ''Jeanne d'Arc'' of 1870 (in which she was represented as a peasant girl) were his first big successes, and led to many commissions thereafter. He is also known for his medal
A medal or medallion is a small portable artistic object, a thin disc, normally of metal, carrying a design, usually on both sides. They typically have a commemorative purpose of some kind, and many are presented as awards. They may be int ...
s, and led the French revival in the medal as an artistic form.
Chapu taught at Paris' Academie Julian. Among his students was American sculptor Cyrus Dallin
Cyrus Edwin Dallin (November 22, 1861 – November 14, 1944) was an American sculptor best known for his depictions of Native Americans. He created more than 260 works, including the ''Equestrian Statue of Paul Revere'' in Boston, Massac ...
who studied under him in 1888-1889.
An Officer of the French Legion of Honor
The National Order of the Legion of Honour (french: Ordre national de la Légion d'honneur), formerly the Royal Order of the Legion of Honour ('), is the highest French order of merit, both military and civil. Established in 1802 by Napoleon ...
, Chapu died in Paris in 1891.
At least four full-scale reproductions of ''Jeanne d'Arc'' are on permanent display at universities in Virginia: in McConnell Library at Radford University
Radford University is a public university in Radford, Virginia. It is one of the state's eight doctorate-granting public universities. Founded in 1910, Radford offers curricula for undergraduates in more than 100 fields, graduate programs inclu ...
in Radford, Virginia
Radford (formerly Lovely Mount, Central City, English Ferry and Ingle's Ferry) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Virginia. As of 2020, the population was 16,070 by the United States Census Bureau. For statistical purposes, the Bureau ...
; beneath the rotunda in Ruffner Hall
The Rotunda is the name given to a building on the campus of Longwood University in Farmville, Virginia. It was formerly known as Ruffner Hall, but the name was changed in 2019. The original Rotunda was built in 1839 and gradually expanded along ...
at Longwood University
Longwood University is a public university in Farmville, Virginia. Founded in 1839, it is the third-oldest public university in Virginia and one of the hundred oldest institutions of higher education in the United States. Previously a college, Lo ...
in Farmville, Virginia
Farmville is a town in Prince Edward and Cumberland counties in the U.S. state of Virginia. The population was 8,216 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Prince Edward County.
Farmville developed near the headwaters of the Appomattox R ...
; at James Madison University
James Madison University (JMU, Madison, or James Madison) is a public research university in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the institution was renamed Madison Coll ...
; and at the University of Mary Washington
The University of Mary Washington (UMW) is a public liberal arts university in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Founded in 1908 as the Fredericksburg Teachers College, the institution was named Mary Washington College in 1938 after Mary Ball Washingt ...
.@ James Madison University.
Notable works
*Monument toHenri Regnault
Alexandre Georges Henri Regnault (31 October 1843 – 19 January 1871) was a French painter.
Biography
Regnault was born in Paris, the son of Henri Victor Regnault. On leaving school he successively entered the studios of Antoine Montfort, Lou ...
in the courtyard of École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...
(1872)
*Tomb of Marie d'Agoult
Marie Cathérine Sophie, Comtesse d'Agoult (née de Flavigny; 31 December 18055 March 1876), was a Franco-German romantic author and historian, known also by her pen name, Daniel Stern.
Life
Marie was born in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, with th ...
(1877)
*''Four Seasons'' on the facade of grande magasin Printemps
Printemps (; meaning "spring (season), springtime" in French language, French) is a French department store chain (french: grand magasin, links=no, literally "big store"). The Printemps stores focus on beauty, lifestyle, fashion, accessories ...
, Paris (1881–89), for architect Paul Sédille
Paul Sédille (16 June 1836, Paris – 6 January 1900) was a French architect and theorist; and designed the 1880 reconstruction of the iconic Magasins du Printemps department store in Paris.
Life
Though Sédille is best known for his Printem ...
*Monument to Gustave Flaubert
Gustave Flaubert ( , , ; 12 December 1821 – 8 May 1880) was a French novelist. Highly influential, he has been considered the leading exponent of literary realism in his country. According to the literary theorist Kornelije Kvas, "in Flauber ...
(1890), his last major work.
See also
*List of works by Henri Chapu
Henri Chapu (1833–1891) was a French sculptor.
Chapu was born in Le Mée-sur-Seine on 30 September 1833. He trained at the École Gratuite de Dessin as a tapestry maker. In 1849 his successes led him to the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris, where ...
References
*Fusco, Peter and H. W. Janson, editors, ''The Romantics to Rodin'', Los Angeles County Museum of Art 1980 *Mackay, James, ''The Dictionary of Sculptors in Bronze'', Antique Collectors Club, Woodbridge, Suffolk 1977External links
* 1833 births 1891 deaths French medallists Académie Julian faculty Prix de Rome for sculpture Members of the Académie des beaux-arts Officiers of the Légion d'honneur 19th-century French sculptors French male sculptors 19th-century French male artists {{France-sculptor-stub