Félix Bracquemond - La statue de la Résistance par Falguière

''La statue de la Résistance par Falguière'' (''The statue of the Resistance by Falguière'') was a 9-foot tall

snow sculpture Snow sculpture or snow art is a sculpture form comparable to sand sculpture or ice sculpture in that most of it is now practiced outdoors, and often in full view of spectators, thus giving it kinship to performance art in the eyes of some. The ...

of a nude woman with a cannon made on 8 December 1870 by

Alexandre Falguière Jean Alexandre Joseph Falguière (also given as Jean-Joseph-Alexandre Falguière, or in short Alexandre Falguière) (7 September 183120 April 1900) was a French sculptor and painter. Biography Falguière was born in Toulouse. A pupil of the � ...

during the Siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War. Falguière was a member of a

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

company comprising many artists and intellectuals, among them Felix Philipoteaux. Falguière, assisted by his comrades, erected the statue in a few hours, to symbolize French resistance to Prussia. Philipoteaux's sketch of the sculpture was published later that month. It became a tourist attraction, along with a less celebrated snow bust by Hippolyte Moulin near by. Theodore de Banville wrote an ode and

Félix Bracquemond Félix Henri Bracquemond (22 May 1833 – 29 October 1914) was a French painter, etcher, and printmaker. He played a key role in the revival of printmaking, encouraging artists such as Édouard Manet, Edgar Degas and Camille Pissarro to use th ...

made an etching published by Faustin Betbeder. After the snow sculpture had melted, Falguière's attempts to recreate it in a more permanent medium were unsuccessful, lacking the original's spontaneity. It was Falguière's first female nude, a subject in which he later specialised.

References

* 1870 in art 1870 establishments in France 1870 sculptures Outdoor sculptures in France Franco-Prussian War Buildings and structures made of snow or ice Snow sculpture Sculptures of women in France Nude sculptures in France {{France-sculpture-stub