Félix-Alexandre Desruelles
Encyclopedia
Félix-Alexandre Desruelles (1865–1943) was a French sculptor who was born in Valenciennes
in 1865 and died in La Fléche
in 1943. He was a member of the Institut et l’Académie des Beaux-Arts.
. He was also the sculptor of the monument in the square Guynemer in Dunkirk dedicated to all the Marines (Fusiliers marins) killed in the 1914-1918 war especially those of the Admiral Alexis Ronarc’h Brigade which had helped to save Dunkirk from occupation by holding the Germans on the line of the Yser
.
The Arras war memorial stands in the Place Foch opposite Arras railway station. The inauguration took place on the 22 November 1931, the inauguration party being led by Marshal Philippe Pétain
. Desruelles was the winner of a competition held in 1928 to select the sculptor.
The monument comprises a central column, said to follow the design of the old temples of Mesopotamia. On the side of the column facing the railway station we have an angel, representing peace at the top of the column, and below her a soldier. Between the two figures is the inscription "Arras a ses enfants morts pour la défense du droit".
Under the angel of peace are the words "La Paix, les ailes largement déployées, debout sur le promontoire".
Under the soldier is the inscription: "Le soldat français / hier soldat de Dieu / Aujourd’Hui Soldat de l’humanité / Sera toujours le soldat du droit"
The right and left sides of the column bear a series of reliefs those reliefs on one side being concerned with peace and those on the other with war.
Those concerning peace are a celebration of “Work”; life in the fields and in industry. At the bottom we see a tractor and the word "Travail". Moving upwards we see four farm labourers working in unison with scythes, and above a frieze of bee-hives. Above this frieze, two cows are seen being led along by a youngster and next we have two horses pulling a plough and then we see two sacks filled with flour; the fruits of all their labour.
Next we deal with commerce and industry and see a miner, a farrier and a farm labourer standing side by side. Above these figures we see three miners hewing coal and then have another frieze, this one featuring miners’ lamps. Next we see various women at work; a linen draper and a woman attending to her baby. Finally we have a tipstaff, a sheaf of corn and a wheel with gears and at the top a further frieze of ears of corn.
The other side of the column deals with war; not epic battles but the daily life of soldiers at the front. At the bottom we see a tank, and above the tank a soldier in the trenches, and then a donkey carrying a pack. A frieze of mortars then leads us to five marching soldiers. Next we have a cannon, then a sailor, an infantryman and an aviator, the three arms of the services. Above them an angel is seen sounding a trumpet with the words “Gloire à notre France Eternelle / A ceux qui sont morts pour elle“. We then have a frieze featuring everyday objects. Next we have a nurse carrying a tray of medicines and a figure representing “Notre Dame de Lorette” that most important war memorial and cemetery. At the top is a bundle of rifles flanked by two croix de guerres and above them a row of torpedoes.
Thus the sculptor has juxtaposed and contrasted War and Peace in a most effective way.
a former mining town situated 8 miles (12.9 km) southwest of Béthune
and 34 miles (54.7 km) southwest of Lille
, at the junction of the D183 and the D183E roads.The monument aux morts stands in the Rue Jean Jaurès and is another work by Desruelles. The monument was inaugurated on the 13th May 1928 and Desruelles wrote that his work was intended to “Flétrir la guerre, chanter la paix" (Stigmatize war, extol peace).
The monument comprises two groups. The first shows “L'humanité en deuil “(humanity in grief). Humanity covers her eyes when faced with the horrors of war; dead soldiers, towns and villages in ruins, etc. whilst the second group placed to the rear portrays an idyllic pastoral life in the mining countryside of the Auchel district after the war. The family of a miner relax in their garden. The father picks fruit from a tree, a youngster has a nap and the mother cares for the baby of the family.
Desruelles was incidentally the sculptor of the beautiful monument aux morts at Suippes.
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
in 1865 and died in La Fléche
La Flèche
La Flèche is a municipality located in the French department of Sarthe and the region of Pays de la Loire in the Loire Valley. This is the sub-prefecture of the South-Sarthe, the chief district and the chief city of a canton. This is the second most populous city of the department. The city is part...
in 1943. He was a member of the Institut et l’Académie des Beaux-Arts.
The war memorial at Arras
One of Desruelles best known work is the war memorial (monument aux morts) in ArrasArras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...
. He was also the sculptor of the monument in the square Guynemer in Dunkirk dedicated to all the Marines (Fusiliers marins) killed in the 1914-1918 war especially those of the Admiral Alexis Ronarc’h Brigade which had helped to save Dunkirk from occupation by holding the Germans on the line of the Yser
Yser
The Yser is a river that finds its origin in the north of France, enters Belgium and flows into the North Sea at the town of Nieuwpoort.-In France:The source of the Yser is in Buysscheure, in the Nord département of northern France...
.
The Arras war memorial stands in the Place Foch opposite Arras railway station. The inauguration took place on the 22 November 1931, the inauguration party being led by Marshal Philippe Pétain
Philippe Pétain
Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Joseph Pétain , generally known as Philippe Pétain or Marshal Pétain , was a French general who reached the distinction of Marshal of France, and was later Chief of State of Vichy France , from 1940 to 1944...
. Desruelles was the winner of a competition held in 1928 to select the sculptor.
The monument comprises a central column, said to follow the design of the old temples of Mesopotamia. On the side of the column facing the railway station we have an angel, representing peace at the top of the column, and below her a soldier. Between the two figures is the inscription "Arras a ses enfants morts pour la défense du droit".
Under the angel of peace are the words "La Paix, les ailes largement déployées, debout sur le promontoire".
Under the soldier is the inscription: "Le soldat français / hier soldat de Dieu / Aujourd’Hui Soldat de l’humanité / Sera toujours le soldat du droit"
The right and left sides of the column bear a series of reliefs those reliefs on one side being concerned with peace and those on the other with war.
Those concerning peace are a celebration of “Work”; life in the fields and in industry. At the bottom we see a tractor and the word "Travail". Moving upwards we see four farm labourers working in unison with scythes, and above a frieze of bee-hives. Above this frieze, two cows are seen being led along by a youngster and next we have two horses pulling a plough and then we see two sacks filled with flour; the fruits of all their labour.
Next we deal with commerce and industry and see a miner, a farrier and a farm labourer standing side by side. Above these figures we see three miners hewing coal and then have another frieze, this one featuring miners’ lamps. Next we see various women at work; a linen draper and a woman attending to her baby. Finally we have a tipstaff, a sheaf of corn and a wheel with gears and at the top a further frieze of ears of corn.
The other side of the column deals with war; not epic battles but the daily life of soldiers at the front. At the bottom we see a tank, and above the tank a soldier in the trenches, and then a donkey carrying a pack. A frieze of mortars then leads us to five marching soldiers. Next we have a cannon, then a sailor, an infantryman and an aviator, the three arms of the services. Above them an angel is seen sounding a trumpet with the words “Gloire à notre France Eternelle / A ceux qui sont morts pour elle“. We then have a frieze featuring everyday objects. Next we have a nurse carrying a tray of medicines and a figure representing “Notre Dame de Lorette” that most important war memorial and cemetery. At the top is a bundle of rifles flanked by two croix de guerres and above them a row of torpedoes.
Thus the sculptor has juxtaposed and contrasted War and Peace in a most effective way.
The war memorial at Auchel
Another Desruelles war memorial can be seen at AuchelAuchel
Auchel is a commune and seat of a canton in the Pas-de-Calais department in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France.-Geography:An ex-mining town, nowadays a light industrial & farming commune, situated southwest of Béthune and southwest of Lille, at the junction of the D183 and the D183E...
a former mining town situated 8 miles (12.9 km) southwest of Béthune
Béthune
Béthune is a city in northern France, sub-prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais department.-Geography:Béthune is located in the former province of Artois. It is situated South-East of Calais, West of Lille, and North of Paris.-Landmarks:...
and 34 miles (54.7 km) southwest of Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
, at the junction of the D183 and the D183E roads.The monument aux morts stands in the Rue Jean Jaurès and is another work by Desruelles. The monument was inaugurated on the 13th May 1928 and Desruelles wrote that his work was intended to “Flétrir la guerre, chanter la paix" (Stigmatize war, extol peace).
The monument comprises two groups. The first shows “L'humanité en deuil “(humanity in grief). Humanity covers her eyes when faced with the horrors of war; dead soldiers, towns and villages in ruins, etc. whilst the second group placed to the rear portrays an idyllic pastoral life in the mining countryside of the Auchel district after the war. The family of a miner relax in their garden. The father picks fruit from a tree, a youngster has a nap and the mother cares for the baby of the family.
Desruelles was incidentally the sculptor of the beautiful monument aux morts at Suippes.
Other work
Apart from these two monuments, Desruelles’ works include:-- The monument aux morts at CommentryCommentryCommentry is a commune in the department of Allier in central France. It lies southwest of Moulins by the Orléans railway.-Population:-Economy:...
in Allier. This features a farmer, meditating whilst leaning on his scythe. The inscription reads- "La ville de Commentry à ses enfants victimes de la guerre" This monument is one of those grouped as "monument aux morts pacifistes". - the bust of Jean JaurèsJean JaurèsJean Léon Jaurès was a French Socialist leader. Initially an Opportunist Republican, he evolved into one of the first social democrats, becoming the leader, in 1902, of the French Socialist Party, which opposed Jules Guesde's revolutionary Socialist Party of France. Both parties merged in 1905 in...
at Dole in the Jura. - “La fontaine pastorale” a 1925 work which stands in the square Félix Desruelles in Paris.
- The monument to Henri Legrand shot at ValenciennesValenciennesValenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
in 1918. - The monument to the “fusillé lillois". This dates to 1929 and was destroyed by the occupying Germans in 1940. It was resculpted by the widow of the sculptor, Germaine Oury-Desruelles (1889–1978) in 1960. This Lille monument was dedicated to five members of the “Comité Jacquet” who were shot by the Germans on the 22nd September 1915 and a young student, Léon Trulin shot on 8 November 1915. The monument stands in the Square Daubenton.
- the monument aux morts in Le Quesnoy which commemorates the role played by the New Zealand army in liberating Le Quesnoy in November 1918 after four years of occupation.. See image below.
- work in the Musée des Beaux-Arts de Valenciennes
- The monument to Jean-Baptiste Trystram in Dunkirk. Originally the monument involved two pedestals, one featuring Desruelles' figure of Trystram, the other with an allegorical female in a boat for Dunkirk by Hippolyte LefèbvreHippolyte LefèbvreHippolyte-Jules Lefèbvre was an academic French sculptor and medallist who received numerous official marks of recognition in his day but is now largely forgotten...
. Both pedestals were destroyed during the Second World War and the Lefebvre piece is now in the gardens of the Musée des Beaux-arts in Dunkirk, and Desruelles’ Trystram is by the Trystram Lock in Dunkirk
External links
- http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:INQMHcU8-CwJ:www.nella-buscot.com/sculpteurs.php%3Fidsculpteur%3Dscu0066%26lng%3D0+F%C3%A9lix-Alexandre+Desruelles&cd=8&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk.Biography of Desruelles with photographs of some of his work.
- http://yourarchives.nationalarchives.gov.uk/index.php?title=War_Memorials_and_Cemeteries:_Reims_and_The_Champagne. Article on National Archives website which includes photograph of Desruelles' work at Suippes.