Description
This book elaborates at the social and cultural phenomenon of national schools right through the nineteenth century, by way of the less studied field of sculpture and the usage of Belgium as a case study. The role, importance of, and emphasis on certain aspects of national identity evolved all through the century, at the same time as a diverse array of criteria were indicated by commissioners, art critics, or artists that supposedly constituted a “national sculpture.” By confronting the role and have an effect on of the four most the most important actors throughout the artistic field (politics, education, exhibitions, public commissions) with a linear timeframe, this book offers a chronological in addition to a thematic approach. Artists covered include Guillaume Geefs, Eugène Simonis, Charles Van der Stappen, Julien Dillens, Paul Devigne, Constantin Meunier, and George Minne.