Pour l'Humanité, pour la Patrie
Pour l'Humanité, pour la Patrie (tr: For Humanity, for the Fatherland) is an oil on canvas painting (385cm x 240cm) by Jean-Joseph Weerts, from 1895. It is part of the collection of the Petit Palais in Paris.[1]
Description
The painting depicts Jesus on the cross with a dead French
tricolour. The sense of depth is enhanced by the position of the dead horse and the diagonal placing of the officer. The composition implies a parallel between Christ’s sacrifice for humanity and the soldier’s sacrifice for his fellow citizens.[2] The juxtaposition of sacred and secular subjects within a single image might seem shocking, but Weerts’ refined academic technique perhaps serves to smooth the difference and make it appear normal.[3]
The work was one of a number executed by Weerts on patriotic themes, such as France!! ou l'Alsace et la Lorraine désespérées (1905) and La France victorieuse, le châtiment (1918).[4][5]
History
The painting was originally exhibited at the
First World War Louis Mazuet had used the lower part of the painting as the basis for the design of a stained glass window at Dozulé in 1909, dedicated to the war of 1870.[7]
The close identification of the soldier’s sacrifice with that of Christ was a new feature of culture of the
Third Republic. After the disastrous defeat of the Franco-Prussian War, images sanctifying the soldier’s death as a religious sacrifice became increasingly common. The exhibition of Pour l’humanité. Pour la patrie at the salon of 1895 was a decisive step in the association of patriotic and religious sacrifice.[8]
References
- ^ "Pour l'Humanité, pour la Patrie". parismuseescollections.paris.fr. Paris Musées. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ Le Senne, Camille (1895). Le Menestrel volume 61. Paris: Heugel et Cie. p. 148. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ISBN 9780300102307. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ Bouchy du Palut, Sabine. "L'ALSACE, PROVINCE PERDUE". histoire-image.org. L’Histoire par l’image. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ISBN 9789004241862. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ Mazel, Henri (1895). L'Ermitage Volume 6. Paris: Bureaux de la Revue. p. 331. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ "Vitraux de Normandie, une histoire de la Grande Guerre" (PDF). ac-caen.fr. Académie de Normandie. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
- ^ Germani, Ian (2017). "The Soldier's Death: From Valmy to Verdun" (PDF). French History and Civilisation. 6: 147. Retrieved 25 December 2022.