DOI issue:
Vol. 6, No. 2 (April, 1916)
DOI article:Bradley, William Aspenwall: Some French artists during the Siege and Commune
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.49980#0286
ties of the Commune. How a great artist, such as he
was, could have consented to join the band of the Hotel-
de-Ville, amazed many of his contemporaries. The
story that he positively hated the Venclome column and
became a member of the Commune for the one express
purpose of seeing it pulled down, is merely a foolish
legend, and one may assume that foolish vanity alone
led Courbet to accept the honor thrust upon him.”
And yet, as Mr. Vizetelly himself proceeds to show, it
is undoubtedly true that the destruction of this monu-
ment to Napoleon and “Csesarism” had long been a
mania with Courbet, who hated the Second Empire to
such an extent that he had even refused to accept the
decoration of the Legion of Honor at the hand of the
Emperor.
“At the time of the German siege of Paris,” writes
Vizetelly, “Courbet proposed that the column should be
pulled down and melted in conjunction with all the
French and German guns of the period, with the view of
erecting with the metal a new and gigantic monument
which should be dedicated to universal peace and repub-
licanism. Naturally, that Utopian idea found few sup-
porters even among the French, and certainly none on
the side of Bismarck’s 'big battalions.’ At the Com-
mune’s sitting on April 2, however, both Courbet and
J. B. Clement complained of the delay in pulling down
the column, whereupon they were assured by Paschal
Grousset and Andrieu that it was only a matter of a few
days, and that the work had been entrusted to two engin-
eers of ability who had assumed all responsibility for
the undertaking. May 5 was the next date fixed for the
demolition, but it went by without anything being done,
and the Commune thereupon declared that there should
208
was, could have consented to join the band of the Hotel-
de-Ville, amazed many of his contemporaries. The
story that he positively hated the Venclome column and
became a member of the Commune for the one express
purpose of seeing it pulled down, is merely a foolish
legend, and one may assume that foolish vanity alone
led Courbet to accept the honor thrust upon him.”
And yet, as Mr. Vizetelly himself proceeds to show, it
is undoubtedly true that the destruction of this monu-
ment to Napoleon and “Csesarism” had long been a
mania with Courbet, who hated the Second Empire to
such an extent that he had even refused to accept the
decoration of the Legion of Honor at the hand of the
Emperor.
“At the time of the German siege of Paris,” writes
Vizetelly, “Courbet proposed that the column should be
pulled down and melted in conjunction with all the
French and German guns of the period, with the view of
erecting with the metal a new and gigantic monument
which should be dedicated to universal peace and repub-
licanism. Naturally, that Utopian idea found few sup-
porters even among the French, and certainly none on
the side of Bismarck’s 'big battalions.’ At the Com-
mune’s sitting on April 2, however, both Courbet and
J. B. Clement complained of the delay in pulling down
the column, whereupon they were assured by Paschal
Grousset and Andrieu that it was only a matter of a few
days, and that the work had been entrusted to two engin-
eers of ability who had assumed all responsibility for
the undertaking. May 5 was the next date fixed for the
demolition, but it went by without anything being done,
and the Commune thereupon declared that there should
208