DUSEIGNEUR, Jehan

Jehan Duseigneur (also Jean-Bernard du Seigneur), French sculptor. At the age of 14, he studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, became successively the pupil of François-Joseph Bosio, Louis Dupaty (1771-1825) and Jean-Pierre Cortot (1787-1843). At 16, he was awarded the "third medal". The education he received is classic because Bosio was a student of Canova. However, he moves away from the classicalGLOSSARYRelating to the culture of ancient Greece and Rome (classical Antiquity). The classical world played a profoundly important role in the Renaissance, with Italian scholars, writers, and artists seeing their own period as the rebirth (the "renaissance") of classical values after the Middle Ages. The classical world was considered the golden age for the arts, literature, philosophy, and politics. Concepts of the classical, however, changed greatly from one period to the next. Roman literature provided the starting point in the 14th century, scholars patiently finding, editing and translating a wide range of texts. In the 15th century Greek literature, philosophy and art - together with the close study of the remains of Roman buildings and sculptures-expanded the concept of the classical and ensured it remained a vital source of ideas and inspiration. school, looking into the Middle Ages for chivalrous and Christian new inspirations. He follows with great interest the anatomy lessons and is attracted to the forms dictated by the nature.

In 1831 he achieved renown when he exhibited Roland furieux (Orlando Furioso), now in Louvre and often regarded as the first romantic sculpture. He turned quickly almost exclusively to the production of religious works, religious buildings decoration. The rest of his activity is devoted to executing busts and medallions (busts of Jacques de Rougé, Marquis du Plessis-Bellière, now in the Palace of Versailles, and the poet Gérard de Nerval).