Barye the Sculptor of Animals
By: Donald Rock
It was not until the early 19th century did science begin to assert that man had some connection to the rest of the animal world. Men of science such as Charles Darwin theorized the evolution of mankind and opened a new world to those interested in natural history as well as their own place within that history. Ultimately, artists, philosophers, and litterateurs would begin to see the animal world in a different light where for the first time animals were believed to have a capacity for emotion and some level of intelligence. It was artists like Antoine-Louis Barye (1795-1875) who would realistically convey “the passion and feelings of the animals” (Mackay 24) while maintaining that realism of form was not enough, and what was of equal importance was the depiction of the emotional mental states of his animal subjects.
Barye was interested in capturing in his work the essence of raw, untamed nature – the animals as they are in the wild, not merely as symbolic references or decorative pieces but work that displays the passion of the animal kingdom. Animals captivated him as “emblems of passion and cruelty, as creatures capable of expressing a full range of the nuances of human feeling” (Benge 1). Through his sculpture he gave recognition and significance to those creatures that had previously been of little importance in the fine arts and as biographer, Charles De Kay writes, “he turned to the wild beasts, as in preceding ages many a taciturn thinker like him, and resolved to show the world that in the realm below angels and men there is a kingdom in which tragedy and comedy, love and hate, beauty as beauty, and the beauty that contains terror have as good a right to be noted as anything that more directly concerns mankind” (De Kay 7). It is this “beauty that contains terror” that Barye draws on and becomes such a poignant aspect of his subject matter. Several of his most famous pieces deal with exotic animals in combatant situations with one another; beautiful creatures displaying intense emotion and energy while in life threatening conflict.
During the 18th and early 19th centuries artists paid strict adherence to the so-called hierarchy of genres and within this hierarchy, academic tradition left no single category for animal subjects. Although depictions of animals in combat have existed in art dating back to classical antiquity, these depictions followed established formal conventions regarding composition and the type of animals to be used as the subjects. Barye rejected these formal precedents and put together exotically unique combinations of equally exotic animals and based his subjects on the observed realism of nature. His work consisted of not only wild animals such as lions, tigers, panthers, jaguars, antelopes, and elephants, but also domestic subjects including dogs, cats, sheep, horses, and cattle.
In order to capture the true expression of his subjects he sought out animals at fairs and zoos and made detailed studies of them in sketches which were sometimes drawings or watercolor or other times quick models using a small piece of wax. He attended lectures on anatomy and learned much at the Parisian Zoo. His scientific approach consisting of careful observation and detailed records allowed him to better understand the bone and muscle structures of various animals. He also studied the planes of an animals fur and how that varied depending on its emotional state. He made other studies of dissected animals that had died in captivity in order to truly understand their physical makeup. He attended the Jardin des Plantes which was a botanical garden and home to several museums as well as a zoo in order to study live animals up close. He observed their movements, attitudes, and gestures. He also spent time at the horse markets “sketching these animals and mastering the difficult techniques of capturing the true air and fleeting movement of the horse” (Mackay 24).
During this time the Romantic art movement had developed an ideology where freedom of imagination and sublimity were key elements. Romanticism was based to a certain extent on the belief that freedom of the mind could be had through the rejection of reason and that by “functioning through feeling rather than through thinking” (Gardner’s 863) freedom of the mind could be realized. Barye’s work seems to follow this ideology as it appeals strictly to the emotions. As a Romantic, his art shows an “obsession with strong emotion and untamed nature” (Gardner’s 874) and it draws viewers in by its expression of brute nature and the character of animals which is sometimes a reflection of human nature.
Barye asserted that animals were fit for subjects in fine art and broke away from the academic tradition that kept art confined to certain rules concerning subject and content. In the early 1800s he entered his work into the competitions at the Beaux Arts but lost several times to other artists whose work impressed critics who were still under the influence of neoclassicism. He finally achieved success at the Salon of 1831 with his Tiger Devouring a Gavial Crocodile of the Ganges. This piece got him a second place award and was eventually bought by the government of France nineteen years later. Originally submitted to the Salon in plaster, this bronze casting captures a moment in which a tiger violently attacks a crocodile from behind. Here the two animals appear to be intertwined as the crocodile’s tail curves around the tiger’s neck. It is the obvious viciousness of the tiger’s gaze and the apparent strength of its tense musculature lead one to believe that the crocodile has little chance of survival. The tiger’s face is very expressive, “conveying an almost human mood” (Benge 32) yet the entire subject is also expressive of the nature of cats in general; De Kay states:
How relentless are the big paws which have seized the lizard; with what ferocity are the tiger’s jaws buried in its flesh! The hind feet of the cat show sympathetically their claws, and the tail writhes with the pleasure not merely of eating but of destroying life. For the tiger, more than any other carnivorous beast, has the ill fame of killing for the love of it rather than for the food alone. (De Kay 17)
It is the fearlessness of Barye’s tiger and our knowledge of their behavior that allows our imagination to conceive that the big cat’s intent may be to toy with the crocodile. It is Barye’s mastery of creating an emotive sense of the animal through its physicality that brings about in the viewer a true sense of the artists conception.
It was Barye’s love of creating animal sculpture that prompted some critic to label him as an ‘animalier’ in the early part of his career. The term ‘animalier’ was originally meant to be derogatory, as the word ‘animal’ in French is an insulting term when directed at a person. “His work was often criticized or dismissed contemptuously” (Mackay 20) and Rodin was quoted saying that, “he [Barye] was beyond all and outside all art influences, save nature and the antique” (Mackay 20). It was this image of Barye in which he was seen as a someone who had a unique direction in art that gave critics and other artists a distaste for his work. Later however, the term ‘animalier’ would come with more distinction for Barye after gaining recognition and success at the Salon where he exhibited his work. The hey-day of animal sculpture in France was between 1830-1890 and throughout the 19th century there were many animaliers that could be found in France, Germany, Austria, Russia, Britain, and in America, but none ever “attained the dignity, monumentality, and expressive vigor of Barye” (Benge 9).
Barye’s influence was far reaching but it is Rodin who comes up as being one of the most interesting as well as the most prominent artists to learn from him. Rodin was actually a student of Barye’s at one point under whom he studied animal anatomy. It has been said that Rodin’s bronzes have surfaces that reflect the “freely developed surfaces of Lion Crushing a Serpent” (Benge 11). Other traits that can be associated to the influence of Barye are Rodin’s anatomical mastery and the emotional qualities of his work (Benge 11).
Like the Salon of 1831 the Salon of 1833 was a successful one for Barye, and his Lion Crushing a Serpent was received very well by certain critics and the public alike. Again he depicts a big cat, in this case a lion that has what appears to be the advantage over a large snake. The lion’s dominance is conveyed by the one paw that has the agitated snake pinned to the ground. The tension of this single point in time is dramatic, as it seems that the snake could strike at any moment. The lion seems to be terrorizing the snake as its rage filled, teeth bearing face appears to be snarling indirectly at the snake in a gesture of a dare that the snake should try and strike. “It is a moment rendered dramatic by its contrast with the irrational rush and frenzy of the struggle that will follow” (Benge 34). Again like the Tiger Devouring a Gavial Crocodile of the Ganges, Barye creates an image that appeals to the emotions. This piece however has symbolic political meaning as well. The two animals are derived from the two signs of the zodiac, Leo and Hydra which were the constellations that appeared in the sky during the revolutionary days of July, 1830. At this time Louis-Philippe would access the throne of France and would become ruler. Barye’s subjects were therefore easily understood by the French people whereby the lion represented the strength and courage of the new monarch.
Another piece fitting with the previous two that were discussed yet with a different subject is the Elk Hunt (1838). This sculpture shows two hunters, two elk, horses, and dogs, entangled in a wildly swirling moment as the elk are being slain. This sculpture is composed of overlapping forms and a contrasting line direction that gives it great energy. Romantic elements include exotic Mongolian looking hunters and a violent scene caught in the tense moment right before the eminent death of the one rising elk. In this piece Barye uses two devices that unify the composition and create variety: parallelism and opposites. Two horses and two elk are used where one of each has fallen to the ground. Another parallel exists in that both hunters engage one elk at the same time from either side. Opposites occur with one dog being up and the other down while one hunter has a helmet and the other a shaven head (Benge 134). This work also shows Barye’s careful attention to anatomical detail and the horses and elk are all based on the studies of either live or dead specimens.
Barye was an innovative artist, and through sheer creativity and a romantic interest in untamed nature, he set a precedent in the art world in which animals could be depicted as expressive of emotion and character, of beauty and at the same time terror.
Works Sited
Benge, Glenn. Antoine-Louis Barye, Sculptor of Romantic Realism. Unversity Park: Penn. State University Press, 1984.De Kay, Charles. Barye. New York: Barye Monument Assoc., 1889.
Janson, H. W. 19th Century Sculpture. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Inc, 1985.
Kleiner, Mamiya, Tansey. Gardner’s Art Throughout the Ages. New York: Harcourt, 2001.
Lengyel, Alfonz. Life and Art of Antoine Louis Barye. Dubuque: WM.C.Brown Book Co., 1963.
Mackay, James. The Animaliers. New York: E. P. Dutton, 1973.