An examination of the relationships between sculptural production and the ideologies of those who commissioned it. The author argues that "aesthetics" counted for less in this production than the particular political and social orientation of the patron working closely with the sculptor. This integration of culture and political ideology is most strikingly revealed in 19th-century French sculpture, which played a major role in projecting the public face of the State and in announcing the rise of particular social groups in ...
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An examination of the relationships between sculptural production and the ideologies of those who commissioned it. The author argues that "aesthetics" counted for less in this production than the particular political and social orientation of the patron working closely with the sculptor. This integration of culture and political ideology is most strikingly revealed in 19th-century French sculpture, which played a major role in projecting the public face of the State and in announcing the rise of particular social groups in the shifting of power relationships. Private benefactors as well as the official or bureaucratic apparatus made sculpture an instrument of power and direction and carrier of social attitudes. The author traces the development of this activity through the successive regimes of empire, monarchy and republic.
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