François-Raoul Larche

FRANÇOIS-RAOUL LARCHE (France, 1860-1912).
"The fauns", ca. 1900.
Bronze with green patina.
Stamp of the foundry Siot Decauville Fondeur Paris.
Signed. With the seal of the foundry Siot Decauville Fondeur Paris.
Measurements: 45 cm (height); 27 cm (base diameter).

"The fauns" is a sculpture that perfectly describes the style of the Frenchman François-Raouil Larche, whose creations are characterized by their sinuous elegance and their strong link with French Art Nouveau; they mainly represent idealized female figures - nymphs, dancers, allegories and mythological characters (like this pair of fauns) - wrapped in a fluid movement where the bodies and the folds of the canvases seem to undulate as if they were part of nature.

Son of the sculptor Guillaume Larche, F.R. Larche's sculptural work oscillates between two styles, neo-baroque and modernist. After attending the Ecole Nationale des Arts Décoratifs, he was admitted to the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, where he studied with François Jouffroy, Auguste Dumont, Alexandre Falguière, Jean-Léon Gérôme and Eugène Delaplanche.
He started at the Salon des Artistes de Paris in 1884 and exhibited regularly until 1911. In 1886, he won the second Grand Prix de Rome for sculpture. Larche's output includes various figures of Christ, although he is best known for his numerous female figures, be they knots or women in beautifully draped dresses. Larche was one of the many artists inspired by the dancer Loie Fuller. One of his best known works is a portrait of Fuller in one of her signature serpentine dance dresses. Another of his most famous pieces is the symbolist sculptural group entitled Les Violettes.