Origins of Modernism in French Romantic Sculpture
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2011 Florence Quideau ALL RIGHTS RESERVED ORIGINS OF MODERNISM IN FRENCH ROMANTIC SCULPTURE: DAVID D’ANGERS, DANTAN-JEUNE, DAUMIER AND PRÉAULT. by FLORENCE QUIDEAU A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School-New Brunswick Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Graduate Program in Art History written under the direction of Dr. Susan Sidlauskas and approved by ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ ________________________ New Brunswick, New Jersey January, 2011 ABSTRACT OF THE DISSERTATION ORIGINS OF MODERNISM IN FRENCH ROMANTIC SCULPTURE: DAVID D’ANGERS, DANTAN-JEUNE, DAUMIER AND PRÉAULT. By FLORENCE QUIDEAU Dissertation Director: Professor Susan Sidlauskas This dissertation repositions the place of four Romantic artists within the current discussion of Modern sculpture. Today, Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux has displaced Auguste Rodin’s paramount place as the first Modern sculptor. The dynamism, suppleness, truthful movements, appropriate gestures, and accuracy of Carpeaux’s sculptures are considered the epitome of Modernist sculpture. This analysis argues that the portrait- busts and sculpted caricatures of Jean-Pierre Dantan (called Dantan-Jeune), Pierre-Jean David (called David d’Angers), Auguste Préault, and Honoré Daumier exemplified audacious artistic changes made thirty years before Carpeaux. These four artists showed a distinct rejection of formal portraiture and the values of artistic decorum by creating an unprecedented avant-garde style of sculpture. They left purposely their sculpted portraits and caricatures with irregular surfaces, distorted facial features, exaggerated mops of hair, and used colorings, emphasized physiognomic and physiologic characteristics to overthrow Academic traditions of realistic and idealized beautification of sitters. They showed innovation through their use of the two "pseudo sciences", physiognomy and phrenology – the latter considered at the cutting edge of progress – resulting in sculpted ii portraits, which Salon art critics ridiculed as ugly, caricatural or grotesque. They also exemplified modernism by reversing the traditional making and purpose of sculpture. They subverted artistic expectations by making two-dimensional lithographs and albums based on their three-dimensional portraits and caricatures that were sold to a wide public. The serialization of their works in small-scale further democratized the art of sculpture. These examples show artistic and commercial innovations in the mass-market popularization of sculpted portraiture, which had been shunned by the public because of its repetitive and elitist nature. These four sculptors shattered artistic, political, social, and commercial expectations in the 1830s. Their sculpted portraits and caricatures attest to their modernity, which not only precede Carpeaux's but skip over his generation in a manner that points the way to French Expressionist sculpture of the late nineteenth century. In fact, these four sculptors far exceed Carpeaux’s modernism by showing a rare audacity and creativity that goes well beyond the expressivity of his oeuvre. David d’Angers, Dantan-Jeune, Daumier, and Préault anticipated many of the innovations of Carpeaux, acting as generators rather than simply “forefathers". iii Acknowledgements My advisor, Professor Susan Sidlauskas, continually challenged my ideas and helped me improve the subject of my thesis. I am most indebted for her insightful comments and suggestions, which allowed me to expand my research into a broader context than I originally planned. I am deeply grateful for her thoughtfulness, generosity, patience, and dedicated support throughout the years. I am also appreciative of Professor Joan Marter who reinforced my interest in the art of sculpture and encouraged my project with pragmatism and kindheartedness. In addition, the commitment of Professor Jane Sharp in helping me finalize my project is truly appreciated. I am grateful to Philippe Sorel who accepted to be my outside reader. His knowledge, generosity, and humor during my time spent researching the sculpture collection of the Musée Carnavalet, Paris, turned an arduous research into an enjoyable experience. As members of my committee, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am also indebted to the Art History Department at Rutgers for supporting me over the years. I particularly wish to thank Professor Catherine Puglisi, Cathy Pizzi, and Geralyn Colvil for their kindness, congeniality, and expertise, which resulted in a most positive experience at Rutgers. I am especially grateful for the many opportunities that I was given, which helped me pursue my studies. The Rutgers University Graduate Fellowship allowed me to work at the Zimmerli Art Museum where Philip Dennis Cate's passion for non-conventional sculptures cemented my desire to pursue an understudied field of scholarship. I also want to thank the members of the University and Louis Bevier Fellowship and the committee of the Andrew W. Mellon Dissertation Fellowship for their iv support and trust in the significance of my project. I am sincerely grateful for your generosity. A large part of my research was conducted in Paris, France. I am most appreciative to Anne Pingeot and Laure de Marjorie for their assistance and for allowing me to peruse dossiers at the Musée d'Orsay. I am also indebted to Individuals at the Bibliothèque de la Maison de Balzac, the Archives nationales, the Bibliothèque littéraire Jacques Doucet, the Bibliothèque de L'École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts, and the Bibliothèque historique de la Ville de Paris. At the Art History Library Rutgers, I want to thank Joe Consoli and Sara Harrington for facilitating my research and for sharing their sharp sense of humor. I would like to express my gratitude to friends and family members for alleviating much pressure during the final stages of my dissertation. I am most thankful to my parents, Christiane and José Jourdren, for showing their love by sparing me from heartbreaking news. Joe Moro, “understand", I truly appreciate your wit and philosophy of life. Lorraine "Coquito" DaSilva, your sense of humor was a breath of fresh air in the midst of my research. Many thanks go to Linda and Christina Sees for their friendship and precious assistance. In addition, I want to thank Stacy Smith for her technological expertise and for her generous kindness. Norma "Bella" Garzella, I thank you for ensuring that I ate balanced meals when I was too engrossed in writing. Finally, I would like to express my profound gratitude to Dr. Marjorie Garrido who never doubted my abilities and always told me to go forward. I could not have found a better life partner. I greatly appreciate your love, generosity, patience, and care. This dissertation is dedicated to you. PhinisheD. v Table of Contents Abstract .............................................................................................................................................. ii Acknowledgements............................................................................................................................ iv Table of Contents .............................................................................................................................. vi List of Illustrations ............................................................................................................................ vii Introduction ........................................................................................................................................ 1 Chapter 1: Academism versus Romanticism ................................................................................ 19 Chapter 2: Situating Romantic Sculpture ……………………………….................................................... 65 Chapter 3: Romantic Sculpture and Politics ……………………………….............................................. 136 Chapter 4: Sculpted Caricature: Artistic and Political Subversion………………...............................209 Chapter 5: Phrenology and Physiognomy in Sculpted Portraiture and caricature…….................................................................... 239 Chapter 6: The Democratization and Commerce of Sculpted Portraiture and Caricature …………………….................................................. 278 Conclusion: Origins of Modernism.............................................................................................. .362 Illustrations .................................................................................................................................... 368 Bibliography of Works Cited ........................................................................................................... 460 Curriculum Vitae ............................................................................................................................. 496 vi List of Illustrations Introduction Fig. Introduction. 1 David d'Angers, Chateaubriand, 1829 Plaster Galerie David d'Angers, Angers Fig. Introduction. 2 Auguste Préault, Detail of Tuerie (Massacre), 1834 Bronze Musée de Chartres, France Fig. Introduction. 3 Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Portrait de Jean-Léon Gérôme, 1872 Marble The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, Ref: 88. SA. 8 Fig. Introduction. 4 David d'Angers, Buste de Goëthe, 1831 Plaster Département des sculptures, Musée d'Orsay, Paris Fig. Introduction. 5 David d’Angers, Statue of the Grand Condé, 1827 (after model of 1816) Plaster