78. Study for the monument "Country's Leap"

With a keen eye for detail, Emil Wilhelm Becker dedicated his life to his sculptures, which now adorn countless recognisable building facades in Bucharest, or public monuments born out of countless studies and models made by the artist. Each sculpture carries an intrinsic story, or a certain symbolism. Thus, the "Avântul Țării" monument is a statue group located in Valter Mărăcineanu Square and created by sculptor Emil W. Becker around 1921. The artist worked on various models for this subject, having a whole corpus of works for the "Avântul Țării" monument. The models, made by the artist for the mentioned vestige, are numerous, with several models dedicated to each essential element of the monument. The woman and the soldier are studied together, as we can see in the current work, but also in the form of individual fragments. The model illustrates two characters, a woman waving a flag and a soldier holding a weapon and seeming to rush into battle. At their feet there is an eagle with its wings wide open. The woman, who raises the flag in battle, represents our homeland, and the man is the symbol of the sacrifices made in battle to defend the country. Becker received the order for this monument following a competition that took place in 1913. The statue was erected to honour the Romanian heroes who fell in duty during Romania's military campaign in Bulgaria in 1913. The sculpture, which was to find its place in Valter Mărăcineanu Square, was initially located, in 1925, on Calea Griviței, on the square at the intersection of Mircea Vulcănescu Street with Calea Griviței, but was later moved, in 1930, in front of the former Ministry of War, where it is still today. The "Avântul Țării" monument was not attributed to artist Emil Wilhelm Becker during communism, because of his association with the Royal House. The original sculpture was modified. Initially, the base of the monument featured six bas-reliefs with battle scenes, which were destroyed by the communists.

Dimensions

depth 60 cm, width 48 cm, height 106 cm

Description

patinated plaster

Research information

The lot shows damage.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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