National Identity and Nineteenth-Century Franco-Belgian Sculpture

<p>This book elaborates on the social and cultural phenomenon of national schools during the nineteenth century via the less studied field of sculpture and using Belgium as a case study. The role importance of and emphasis on certain aspects of national identity evolved throughout the century while a diverse array of criteria were indicated by commissioners art critics or artists that supposedly constituted a national sculpture. By confronting the role and impact of the four most crucial actors within the artistic field (politics education exhibitions public commissions) with a linear timeframe this book offers a chronological as well as a thematic approach. Artists covered include Guillaume Geefs Eugène Simonis Charles Van der Stappen Julien Dillens Paul Devigne Constantin Meunier and George Minne.</p>