National Identity and Nineteenth-Century Franco-Belgian Sculpture

• Author(s): Jana Wijnsouw,
• Publisher: Routledge
• Pages: 282
• ISBN_10: 1351778145
  ISBN_13: 9781351778145
  
• Language: en
• Categories: Art / History / General , Art / Art & Politics , Art / Techniques / Sculpting , Art / European , Political Science / Political Ideologies / Nationalism & Patriotism , History / Modern / 19th Century , History / Europe / General , Political Science / General , Political Science / Political Ideologies / General , Political Science / World / European , Art / General , Philosophy / Political , History / Modern / General ,

Description:...

This book elaborates on the social and cultural phenomenon of national schools during the nineteenth century, via the less studied field of sculpture and using Belgium as a case study. The role, importance of, and emphasis on certain aspects of national identity evolved throughout the century, while a diverse array of criteria were indicated by commissioners, art critics, or artists that supposedly constituted a "national sculpture." By confronting the role and impact of the four most crucial actors within the artistic field (politics, education, exhibitions, public commissions) with a linear timeframe, this book offers a chronological as well as a thematic approach. Artists covered include Guillaume Geefs, Eugène Simonis, Charles Van der Stappen, Julien Dillens, Paul Devigne, Constantin Meunier, and George Minne.