La Marseillaise -- The Departure of
the Volunteers in 1792
Francois Rude (1784 - 1855), 1836, Arc de Triomphe, Place d'Etoile,
Paris France
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Francois Rude's The Departure of the Volunteers in 1792, better
known as La Marseillaise -- was one of the four sculptural groups
flanking the Arc de Triomphe which unveiled in 1836. Begun in
1806 by Jean-Francois-Therese Chalgrin (1739 - 1811), the triumphal
arch is conceived as an emblem of Napoleonic rule inspired by
ancient Roman models and finished 30 years later with a revised
decorative program celebrating French patriotism. As one of the
various participants in decorating this monument, Francois Rude's
work elevates the volunteer soldiers to the status of mythic
heroes as they march on - nude, or wearing Roman armor - under
the spirited call to Arms by the winged allegorical figure of
Liberty |
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