Abel (2) by Vincent Emile Feugère des Forts

The other Abel sculpture I want to share is from the French sculptor Vincent Emile Feugères des Forts (1825-1889). His 'death of Abel' was first created in plaster, and he showed it at the 'Salon' in 1864, for which he got a medal. You can see the plaster sculpture in Chartres, at the 'Musée des Beaux- Arts'.
He then sculpted it in marble, and presented it two years later. It is a very sensual sculpture of a young man lying on the ground.

The marble sculpture is in Paris, at the Musée d'Orsay. A cast in bronze was reportedly also visible at the Chateau des Forts (Illiers), during the end of the 19th century but I could not find any trace of it.

In March 2007, the Musée d'Orsay, in his 'Correspondance' serie (in which an artist is invited to choose a Museum art piece and to present his work next to it), displayed the contemporary visions of the French artists Pierre & Gilles (previously mentioned in this blog here), who choose 'The death of Abel', and painted him, not once but 3 times, so as to give a 3D vision of this Abel, around his sculpture. An interesting way to see that sculpture with a new eye.

Here are the photographs of their 3 paintings, taken by 'Lunettes Rouges', an art blogger from the French newspaper 'Le Monde'.

Sources :

Wikipedia
Musée d'Orsay

Pierre & Gilles video interview (Italian & French)
The ''Amateur d'Art'' blog of Lunettes Rouges

Abel (1) by Giovanni Dupré

Dupré's family originated initially from France, but settled long time ago in Tuscany (Italy). Giovanni Dupré was born in Siena in 1817, and died in Florence in 1882. His father was already a carver (in wood).

The Abel marble sculpture, seen above and below, was achived in 1842, and greatly contributed to his reputation, as it was purchased by the Grand Duchess Maria Nikolaevna, Duchess of Leuchtenberg (wife of Maximilian de Beauharnais).  The marble sculpture is visible at the Hermitage Museum.

Abel by Dupré - Marble - Hermitage

And here is the bronze copy, casted later, and now displayed at the Palazzo Pitti in Florence.

Abel by Dupré - Bronze - Palazzo Pitti

Numerous sculptures done by Dupre can be seen in Tuscany, like the Savonarola bust, which is visible in his cell at the monastery of San Marco in Florence. And a museum existed previously, managed by a relative of Dupre (Amalia), located in Fiesole, a wonderful hill near Florence. Unfortunately that museum is now closed. 

 

Dupre wrote his memoirs (Pensieri sull'arte e ricordi autobiografici) in 1879, and it was later translated into English by F. Peruzzi (Edinburgh, 1886). 

You can have access to it easily here with the project Gutenberg. 

Sources

http://www.britannica.com/biography/Giovanni-Dupre