Dying Gladiator (1) by Pierre Julien

The theme of the dying gladiator, dying slave, dying Gaul has been sculpted by several major artists. We have seen previously the dying slave from Michel Angelo here. Today is a post about the Dying Gladiator sculpture by Pierre Julien, located in the Louvre museum.
Another post on that theme will follow with another sculptor.

Pierre Julien is a French sculptor born on 20 June 1731. He died on 17 December 1804.
He was an apprentice at an early age and then went to Paris to work under the supervision of Guillaume Coustou.

He was accepted at the French Academy in Rome (Italy), where he stayed several years. Coming back to France, he did some master pieces, such as the mausoleum of Louis (eldest son of King Louis XIV), in the Sens cathedral. He did his Ganymède (picture of that sculpture can be seen here in this blog), with the objective to be received at the Academie de peinture et de Sculpture, but failed (read more details below). He succeeded though, with this today's sculpture, the Dying Gladiator.
He was named one of the original members of the Institut de France and also Chevalier of the Legion d'Honneur.

Valerie Montalbetti, from the Louvre Museum, describes very well this sculpture of the Dying Gladiator, and some key elements of his life.

"A crucial work for the artist : A mortally wounded gladiator, facing death with grace and dignity, is contemplating the laurel crown he was awarded for his courage. This was Pierre Julien’s second admission piece for the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture and a crucial work for him. He had presented another piece for admission in 1776, a statue of Ganymede (Louvre) and had been refused, possibly due to his teacher, Guillaume II Coustou’s, lack of support for his too talented pupil.

Humiliated by this unjust failure, Julien had thought of becoming a naval sculptor but, encouraged by friends, persevered and presented Dying Gladiator to the Académie in 1778. He was admitted on 27 March 1779 and appointed an assistant teacher in 1781...  ''

''In this scholarly work, the artist demonstrated his mastery of academic criteria whilst asserting personal qualities. The statue is a proclamation of his knowledge of antique sculpture. He was reinterpreting the Dying Gladiator in the Capitoline Museum in Rome, a marble copy of which he had sculpted during his stay at the Académie de France in Rome from 1769 to 1772.

The pose of the legs seems to have been inspired by the famous antique sculpture The Knife Grinder in Florence, a marble copy of which was executed by the Italian Foggini in 1684 for Versailles (now in the Louvre). Julien’s nude gladiator demonstrates his complete mastery of anatomy, and also drapery at the rear of the statue. ''

Photo Ivan Lemeur

''But it was the sculptor’s personal contribution which imbues the work with its sensitivity: the elegant proportions, unctuous modelling and delicate execution (the finesse of the hands, laurel leaves and strands of hair), the marble’s perfect finish and the rendering of textures (the polish of the shield and sword suggest their metallic brilliance).''

''... Julien was exalting the heroism of a man overcoming his pain and stoically dying in silence. The balanced composition, dignified pose, discreet chest wound and restrained expression are formal echoes of this heroic serenity. Like the Laocoon, one of the most admired antique statues at that time, the gladiator is in agony but not crying out in pain, and it is this dignity in suffering which makes the figure more sensitive and inward-looking. ...”

Book about Pierre Julien by André PASCAL:

Sources:
Wikipedia biography
Louvre Museum full text by Valerie Montalbetti

Oreste by Pierre-Charles Simart

Pierre-Charles Simart was a French sculptor, born in Troyes on 27 June 1806.
Many of his art pieces are located in Troyes, and Paris. For today's post, I will show you his Oreste.

A few extracts from his biography:
Pierre-Charles' father was a carpenter, and his father sent him very early (at 6 years old) to follow drawing classes. While helping his father between 13 and 16 yo, he sculpts inside the family house.

La main d'Oreste - photo by Michèle Fleury

At the age of 17, he got a monthly scholarship from his native town, to pursue sculpture classes in Paris.

At the age of 27, he already won the first Grand Prix de Rome, with the bas-relief  in plaster 'Le Vieillard et les enfants'.
Regarding 'our' Oreste, one is in marble, visible at the Art museum of Rouen (France).
 

Oreste réfugié à l’autel de Pallas

   There is also a similar sculpture in bronze, located Place St Nizier in Troyes (France).

Photo by Jacques.

This sculpture, and the myth, also inpired the French artists Pierre & Gilles. Their Oreste art piece, photograph below, was part of the exhibition entitled 'Heroes' organized by the Gallery Templon in Paris in 2014.
 

 

Other works from Pierre-Charles Simart include 'decors' for the Paris townhall such as 'Architecture' and 'Sculpture'. Last but not least, he sculpted during 6 years the tumb of Napoléon 1st in Paris' Invalides, including not only the famous statue itself, but also the 19 allegoric bas-reliefs.

He was an elected member of the Academie des Beaux-Arts in 1852.

He 'stupidly' died in Paris on 27 May 1857, reportedly falling from a public bus.

Sources:
Wikipedia
Jacques Schweitzer website about the fabulous city of Troyes