DURET, Francisque-Joseph
(b. 1804, Paris, d. 1865, Paris)

Chactas Meditating on Atala's Tomb

1835
Bronze, height 135 cm
Musée des Beaux-Arts, Lyon

To differentiate themselves from Neoclassicism, Romantic artists sought new sources of inspiration in the literature and world of fantasy peculiar to each country. Following the painters, Romantic sculptors drew on such sources as Dante, Shakespeare, Tasso and Ariosto, as well as contemporary novelists. Chateaubriand made Red Indians the fashion (Chactas) and also the Druids (Velléda).




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