Felix Charpentier

FÉLIX CHARPENTIER (France, 1858-1924).
"The Song", c. 1900.
Patinated bronze.
Signed with foundry stamp E. Colin&CIE. Paris".
Measurements: 68 x 30 x 25 cm.
The work presents a female figure in an attitude of dance. Elevated on a naturalistic base integrated to the composition, the figure is accompanied by an oak branch, symbol of strength, vitality and permanence. The modeling combines a precise observation of the human body with an elegant idealization, characteristic of French academic sculpture of the late 19th century.
The surface of the bronze, enriched with a medium brown patina, emphasizes the vibration of light on the volumes, accentuating the dynamism of the gesture without resorting to dramatic excesses. The anatomical treatment reveals Charpentier's technical mastery, especially in the articulation of movement and in the restrained expressiveness of the female body, one of the themes for which the sculptor was particularly renowned.
Félix Charpentier trained at the École des Beaux-Arts in Avignon and, from 1877, at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he was a pupil of Jules Cavelier and Amédée Doublemard. He made his debut at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1879 and exhibited continuously since then, establishing himself as one of the most outstanding sculptors of his generation. His career was widely recognized with important awards, among them the silver medal at the Universal Exposition of 1889, the first class medal and prize of the Salon in 1890 for the marble La Chanson, and the Medal of Honor in 1893 for Les Lutteurs, a work acquired by the French State.
Particularly famous for his expressive representations of the female body, Charpentier produced numerous allegories and gender groups in bronze, marble and plaster. He was a prolific creator, with more than 350 catalogued works, and received numerous official commissions, such as the decoration of the Gare de Lyon and the relief L'Art Contemporain for the Grand Palais. After World War I, he created many commemorative monuments, as well as busts and medallions of prominent personalities of French cultural and political life.