The Venus of Arles is a sculpture representing the goddess Aphrodite who could dispute her fame with the Venus de Milo although it sulfur of a restoration which makes polemic. It does not have anything to however envy to him from the plastic point of view and it remains one of the major traces of the sculpture of the second traditional period of Greek antiquity, although it is probably only one Roman copy. It gave birth to the myth from the Arlésienne.
A figure Greek
It is generally allowed that the Venus of Arles is a Roman statue dating from the end from (reign of the emperor Auguste). It is in Marbre, a height of 1m 94. Known by other counterparts, it would reproduce Aphrodite of Thespies, work disappeared from one of the largest traditional Greek sculptors, Praxitèle, carried out towards 360 before J.C, of which the model was its mistress, the courtesan Phryné. Apart from its own qualities plastic, it is also what gives him importance since Praxitèle did not leave many traces of its work; it makes it possible to have an idea of the alphabet of the Greek Master: a flexible line, almost indolente, a thoughtful face. But especially, with its naked bust, this statue would thus express a first revolutionary movement towards the integral nudity which one lends the invention to Praxitèle, with his not less famous Aphrodite de Cnide then, which at the time traditional primitive, the Goddess were vêtues long covering tunics (Chitôn or péplos). Admittedly, Venus de Cnide is the paragon of a new morphological type to the generous hips and with the small centres and the style of Venus of Arles can seem more traditional in its way of privileging the vision of face and by the effects of surface between the smooth beaches of the bust and draped, with the many broken folds, which hangs the light, but the style of Praxitèle would be also detectable in the resemblance of the head of Venus to that of Aphrodite de Cnide, precisely. I.e., a standard of beauty neutral, almost asexual, soft, serene and dreamer, with universal vocation but more humanized than at the previous period, represented three-quarter and carried to perfection with Venus of Arles. However, by taste of draped, one can better appreciate Venus of Arles which emerges slowly and flexibly from its gangue of folds. While for others, draped seems little of interest compared with the tenderness expressed in the bust of Venus of Arles which, slightly inflected, develops according to lines of an exquisite purity. At the time of its discovery, Venus of a color brown-was slightly gilded, with some traces testifying to a polychrome finish (undoubtedly a painting with the Encaustique, applied hot), which was to give to the flesh of Venus of Arles the color of the skin and a diaphanous aspect which disappeared. Today, the absence of this protection and the effects on the conservation of Venus, can lend besides to polemics. With final, Adolf Furtwängler which with the XIX° S.A. tempted to reconstitute the career of Praxitèle, classifies Venus like an early work, while taking into consideration his figure, one will note that Charles Lenthéric classified Venus in Greek art in the following way:
- “ When one releases it from his modern appendices, it represents one of the most tempting types of the Greek beauty; it is difficult however to bring it back to the great time art; it has too much grace and not enough of nobility, and appears to have to be classified in the charming group of the statues ancient, elegant, delicate and a little voluptuous, which immediately preceded the time by the decline ”
A name, object of passions
Its denomination, “Venus of Arles”, comes initially from what she was discovered in 1651 at the time of the excavation of the Roman vestiges of the Théâtre of Arles and of immense popular enthusiasm that she caused on the spot and in the archaeological community. The emotion of the population and the elites was initially fed by the serial of the discovered one which lasted for ever and by its scarcity. The Consuls of the town of Arles hastened to immediately acquire it before placing it at the disposal of the public, the finished excavations and the restoration of Venus carried out. It was finally exposed during 30 years in this city (Town hall). Particularly for all this period (and even well beyond), given that its half nudity surprised and because of absence of its arms, it was the subject of a resounding erudite polemic which amplified the mystery and the legend incipient from Venus. It was about a Artémis (Diane among Romans), as it was concluded initially, or of Aphrodite (Venus among Romans), Déesse of the love, as one agreed on it finally, while noting (in particular) that the place of discovery, identified initially like a temple, was, in fact, incontestably an ancient theater, therefore, undoubtedly dedicated to Venus, like habit. Contemporary science will confirm this analysis due in particular to work of scholars like Claude Terrin.
Its restoration for Versailles
In accordance with the practice of the time, the sculptor François Girardon thereafter the statue at the request of Louis XIV which had been made offer to Venus, in 1683 will improve, to decorate the Galerie of the ices to Versailles where it taken indeed place on April 18th, 1685. Girardon will restore the head, will add the arms, apple and the mirror (in reference to the victory gained by Aphrodite during the Judgment of Pâris) and will take again modelled bust as well as the layout of the folds. The authenticity of this interpretation is however prone to guarantee, the more so as other assumptions can be advanced on the initial state of Venus, as to imagine that the right-hand man rather joined the hair which it inspected in its mirror. As for the principle of this restoration, he contradicts the policy which will be essential as from the 19th century, so far, i.e. a conservation in the state restored for an especially material consolidation, a method which will be applied for example to Venus de Milo two centuries later. Compared with its notoriety passed, such are undoubtedly the reasons of the relative disgrace of Venus of Arles, in this contemporary time in full search for authenticity. Also, even if the interpretation of Girardon can be regarded in oneself as an artistic fact of quality, she is sometimes violently criticized. It is in any case a typical case of the style of restoration of the Antiques which was done at that time (unimaginable today) and which shocks the contemporary purists. In the case of Venus of Arles one must specify that Girardon was led by a double need: to mark the Venusian identity of the statue well whereas until there one took it for a Diane; to prepare a future ornament of the prestigious Gallery of the ices which could thus only be in perfect state. Thus restored, Venus will decorate Versailles until 1897, date on which it was requisitioned for the national museums. She is since (in theory) visible in a permanent way in Louvre (but the mirror disappeared) where she was even, in 2007, in the center of a traditional exposition in Praxitèle. Today, one finds also copies of this restoration, life size, for example, with Angers (garden of the email), with Montpellier (garden of Zeus, Antigone district) and in Arles (main staircase of the Town hall), and it is generally under this aspect that it is represented in the modern iconography. Two plaster mouldings of Venus of Arles are still visible with the stables of Versailles, which deserved to be recalled.
Trace of its initial state
A copy in its initial state - without arm - is also inside the Musée of Arles and Provence antiques. This one was, until its restoration in 1995, allotted to a large local sculptor Jean Péru which had actually carried out the first copy of the original, before it leaves for Versailles. This initial copy was damaged with the revolution, was repaired, then disappeared. One vintage to have found it, but one knows now that the currently exposed copy, unearthed by chance by famous Architecte as a chief Jean Formigé in the attics of the council school of drawing of Arles in 1911 - what had made great noise at the time - is undoubtedly only one pulling of second series later. It remains, that to date, it is the oldest plaster of Venus of Arles and, especially, the example nearest to what was the statue before Girardon since one observes at least a known and undeniable element there: the presence of the tenon on the right hip, non-existent on the marble of Louvre. However, the differences between the copy and the original did not fail to surprise the experts who thought one moment that Girardon deliberately had seriously betrayed the modelled original one, before being enlightened and reassured by the results of a scanner carried out into 1997 which revealed that it was the copy which was to some extent deviating.
A mythical legend
This Venus is the owner of Arlésiennes for which it was an ideal of beauty. The devotion passion for its purity (which curled the “fetishistic neurosis”, the mysteries which surrounded it (suspense of the excavations and changes of denomination), consecutive nostalgia with its departure for Versailles, its transformation, like its absence and its reappearances évanescentes (through those of its copies), are with the source of the famous recurring myth of Arlésienne which translates the weight of a to some extent invisible and almost imaginary presence, well before Prosper Mérimée is not inspired any (very partially) for its malefic Venus d' Ille (new in 1837), and that Alphonse Daudet does not seize (Arlésienne it Letters of my mill in 1869).
Like Estelle Mathé-Rouquette says it:
“This statue left to the men of the city an absence, of which they made a myth, and the insurance of a perpetual rebirth by the blood, which, of its imagined veins, ran in those of Arlésiennes. ”
An old poem of Provence of Theodore Aubanel (19th century) personifies Venus and translates the devotion which it caused:
O douço Come from Arle! O fado of jouvènço!
Your bèuta that clarejo in touto Prouvènço,
Funny Fai bello nòsti fiho E nosti san!
Souto aquelo because Come Bruno, O! i' has toun blood,
Sèmpre viéu, sèmpre caud. E nosti chato alerto,
Vaqui perqué envan the peitrino duberto!
E nosti merry jouvènt, vaqui perqué soun fort
I lucho of the love, di brau E of death! …
E vaqui perqué to you heart, - E your bèuta me engano,
E perqué iéu crestian, lays you, O large pagano! … ”
Lover enthusiastic and impassioned his plastic beauty, Aubanel will often refer to Venus of Arles.
Alexandre Dumas will not be remains about it to evoke beautiful Arlésienne:
“A beautiful young girl with the black hair like jet, with the velvety eyes like those of the gazelle, held upright, leant with a partition, and froissait between her frayed fingers and of an ancient drawing an innocent heather of which it tore off the flowers, and with which the remains strewed already the ground; moreover, its naked arms to the elbow, its browned arms, but which seemed modelled on those of Venus of Arles, quivered of a kind of impatience feverish…”
Curiously, the myth thrived whereas the memory of the Venusian matrix grew blurred. However, more than three centuries after its discovery, Venus always causes nostalgia. Its return in Arles was thus claimed by nationalists Occitan S in an official statement dated February 2nd, 2007, followed interventions near the president-director of the museum of Louvre and the political authorities.
Artistic creations around Venus
Contemporary art
- Cavaillé (Fabrice), a kiss turned into Super 8 is projected around the size of a sculpture in the round (Venus of Arles), in Insinuations , exposure to the new Museum of the Mouldings of the University Light Lyon January 2nd, 8th and th/February 6th, 2000;
- Clergue (Lucien), photographer arlésien, undertakes a work on Venus of Arles to Louvre (photographic joinings, overprinting), Paris, 1991;
- College Jules Ferry in Marseilles, a class of 6th remade the wardrobe of Venus of Arles (photographic joinings), February 2007;
- Series of exposures organized in Arles concerning Venus of Arles, 24 November 26th, 2006:
- Venus of Arles escaped : draftsmen create one cartoon;
- virtual Venus : Remodélisation in 3D of Venus of Arles;
Comedies
- Denola (Georges), Venus of Arles (film) (1911) (interpreters: Jeanne Brindeau, Andree Divonne, Andre Lefaur, Armand Tallier);
- Varney (Louis), Venus of Arles , (comic opera), booklet of Paul Ferrier and Armand Liorat, created on January 30th, 1889, Paris, Innovations (interpreters: Mr. Piccaluga and Miss Auguez, immortalized by Nadar);
Old engravings
- in Collection of antiquities formed by Mister Laurent Bonnemant (after 1680);
- Wolffy J., Venus of Arles (with mirror)
- Mesnaget, Venus of Arles (without arm)
- Boudot-Lamotte (Maurice), Venus of Arles , (fine 19° century), departmental Museum of Oise (Beauvais);
- Mellan P., Diane of Arles , (1653), Arles, private Collection;
Paintings
- Dumas A., Arlésienne in Venus , (painting) (1858), Arles, Museon Arlaten;
- Mandon de Cazan, Venus of Arles (painting of ceiling, in medallion), 1767, Room of the council of the town hall of Arles;
- Thiry Jean, Venus of Arles , Horn the eye (painting) (20th century), private Collection.
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