Monday, January 26, 2015

Sketch of Mars - after a terracotta by Guillaume Coustou



I drew this small pencil sketch during a 2011 visit to the sculpture gallery of the Louvre in Paris.

My model was an exquisite terracotta maquette sculpted by Guillaume Coustou the Elder (1677-1746).  Coustou produced the model during his work on a commission for a monumental pair of bronze sculptures of Mars and Minerva flanking the north entrance of the Parisian hospital and retirement home for war veterans - the Hotel des Invalides (photo by Daniel Vorndran / DXR):
  


Coustou was employed in the Courts of both Louis the XIV and XV.  His work exhibits the mastery of classic themes, dynamic compositions, and deep knowledge of anatomy characteristic of the French Baroque as refined in the Academies under the patronage of the Sun King.  

I find myself particularly attracted to the tautly energized form silhouettes - including the shadow shapes - found in the sculpture and painting of this genre.  

Coustou’s work can still be seen gracing many of the greatest architectural and landscape compositions of the time including Versailles, the Chateau de Marly, and the Tuileries Garden.