Dupagne, Arthur (1895-1961), Panther striding upwards, c. 1938
Arthur Dupagne(1895 Liège - 1961 Woluwe-Saint-Pierre), Panther striding upwards , c. 1938. Patinated bronze in full cast on a hollow-cast terrain base, signed in the cast “Dupagne”, 22 cm (length) x 13.5 cm (height) x 6 cm (width), 1.35 kg.
- Patina somewhat rubbed, slightly bumped in places, in good overall condition.
- The powerful elegance of animalism -
The powerful panther strides up a rock formation and pauses at the edge, overhanging it with his left paw to peer into the distance. He seems to be surveying his territory and searching for prey at the same time. Even if the predator pauses, the impulse to move upward may continue with a mighty leap the next moment; after all, the panther seems to have already caught the scent and made visual contact.
The staircase-like rock formation shows the panther's strength, which is present down to the tip of its tail, in the elegance of its supple, powerful movement. Arthur Dupagne certainly studied these movements in nature, and yet he formulates the musculature in the geometricized language of Art Deco. This does not transform the panther into an abstract creature of art, but rather expresses the fullness of power and the exciting dynamics of its inner movement. Dupagne also transferred the artistic experience he had gained in the Congo of a powerful, original African art to Art Deco.
In symbolism, the lion was replaced by the panther. The royal, sunlike appearance of the lion gave way to the mysterious, nocturnal quality of the black panther, which, as the companion animal of Dionysus, also possessed the unpredictability of intoxication.
About the artist
Despite his early artistic talent, Arthur Dupagne completed a technical degree at his parents' request after an apprenticeship in his father's blacksmith's workshop, but still attended evening classes in sculpture at the Académie des Beaux-Arts in Liège. He completed each of the classes he attended with distinction and exhibited his works for the first time at the Salon in 1924.
Due to family financial difficulties, Dupagne took a job as an engineer in the Belgian Congo, where he lived in Tshikapa from 1927 to 1935. In addition to his professional activities, he devoted himself intensively to sculpture and was inspired by the artworks of the Tshorkwé, Mumpende and Bassala tribes. After his return to Brussels, the numerous sketches and models, mainly in clay, served as models for his stone and bronze works. The exhibition of these works led to his artistic breakthrough. From then on, Dupagne devoted himself entirely to art. He received numerous state commissions for public statues and portrait busts of the royal family, culminating in the commission to portray Queen Astrid.
Arthur Dupagne was represented at the Paris (1937) and New York (1939) World's Fairs. Dupagne was awarded the Ordre de la Couronne in 1940 and the prestigious Ordre Royal du Lion in 1952.