Media Information

 
 
 
Collection:
Archivision Base to Module 13
Preferred Title:
Arc de Triomphe
Alternate Title:
Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile
Image View:
Close view of the area around the central west arch, including the frieze
Creator:
Antoine Etex (French sculptor, 1808-1888); François Rude (French sculptor, 1784-1855); James Pradier (Swiss sculptor, 1790-1852); Jean François Thérèse Chalgrin (French architect, 1739-1811) and others
Location:
site: Paris, Île-de-France, France
Location Note:
Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly Place de l'Étoile)
GPS:
48.8738 2.295
Date:
1806-1836 (creation)
Cultural Context:
French
Style Period:
Neoclassical; Nineteenth century
Work Type 1:
triumphal arch (memorial arch)
Work Type 2:
relief (sculpture)
Work Type 3:
sculpture (visual work)
Classification:
architecture
Material:
stone
Technique:
carving (processes); construction (assembling)
Measurements:
162 ft (height) x 150 ft (width) x 72 ft (depth)
Subjects:
allegory; architecture; military or war; rulers and leaders; Napoleon I, Emperor of the French, 1769-1821; Napoleonic Wars, 1800-1815
Description:
Chalgrin?s best-known work is the Arc de Triomphe, begun for Emperor Napoleon in 1806. Completed in 1836 by L. Goust (fl 1786?1836), Jean-Nicolas Huyot and Guillaume-Abel Blouet, who significantly altered the design of the attic, the Arc de Triomphe dominates the Place de l?Etoile in Paris and provides a focus for the length of the Champs-Elysées. The most noteworthy contribution to the sculptural programme is François Rude?s ?La Marseillaise? (Departure of the Volunteers in 1792). Although it is often considered a sterile imitation of antique triumphal arches, Chalgrin?s final design was the result of a progressive shift away from the pure replication of Classical prototypes. Through a systematic process of abstraction, Chalgrin reduced the traditional tripartite scheme of the triumphal arch to a single bay and eliminated all columnar decoration, creating with economical means an image of monumental achievement that captured the spirit of Napoleonic aspirations. (Source: Grove Art Online; http://www.oxfordar
Image Description:
The allegorical figures curving over the arch are by James Pradier.
Collection:
Archivision Addition Module Five
Identifier:
1A1-CJ-AT-G1
Rights:
© Scott Gilchrist, Archivision, Inc.

Arc de Triomphe