Robert Delandre

ROBERT DELANDRE (France 1879- 1961).
"Allegory of speed", c. 1930.
Patinated bronze with Belgian black marble base.
Presents stamp of the foundry "Bronze Chardon".
Signed.
Measurements: 42 x 46 x 14 cm.
Sculpture in patinated bronze, attributed to Robert Delandre and realized around 1930, it presents a dynamic and ascensional composition that embodies in an eloquent way the thematic of the speed and the modern impulse characteristic of the interwar period. Three nude male figures emerge in a unified, progressive movement, projecting forward with outstretched arms. The diagonal arrangement, which gradually raises the visual axis from the base toward the upper figure, generates a marked sense of forward motion, tension and restrained energy. The anatomy is modeled with precision, emphasizing the muscular power and fluidity of the body lines, while the stylized folds that accompany the whole act as a sort of material trail, reinforcing the impression of swift displacement.
The aesthetic responds to a language typical of late Art Deco, where the exaltation of the body and dynamism are combined with a refined treatment of the surfaces. The bronze has a warm patina that accentuates the volumes and contributes to the unitary reading of the scene, while the Belgian black marble base offers a solid and sober counterpoint, visually stabilizing the composition. As a whole, the work functions as an allegory of technical and human progress, translating into sculptural forms the modern fascination with movement and force.
Robert Delandre was a French sculptor. Son of the president of the commercial court of Elbeuf, Alfred Delandre, he studied at the Lycée Corneille in Rouen and later trained with Alexandre Falguière and Denys Puech at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris.
He won silver and bronze medals at the Salon des Artistes Français. In 1930 he was named knight of the Legion of Honor and, in 1932, elected member of the Academy of Sciences, Letters and Arts of Rouen. He held prominent positions in various associations: he was vice-president of the Normans of Paris and, in 1937, president of the Amical Association of the Lower Seine in Paris. He was also a corresponding member of the Société Libre d'Emulation du Seine Inferior. He is credited with the realization of numerous memorials dedicated to the fallen of the war of 1870.