Monument to General Alvear (Monument au général Alvear)

In 1913, the Argentine Republic commissioned Bourdelle to create a monument to General Alvear, one of the leaders of the country's independence. This commission literally gave substance to Bourdelle's dream of grandeur. He gave much thought to the work, making use of the drawings he had made during the war years in Montauban. He created 57 studies and variations before arriving at the final design for the monument, which was inaugurated in 1926 in the Plaza de la Recoleta, one of the central squares of Buenos Aires. Alvear on Horseback stands on a gigantic pink granite pedestal 14 metres high, flanked by four allegorical figures with accessories – Victory with a sword, Liberty with a vine stock, Strength with a mace, and Eloquence with a phylactery. These are all symbols of the virtues inherent in the Liberator. The work is in keeping with the great tradition of the Florentine Renaissance of the Quattrocento, and the equestrian statues of Donatello and Verrocchio. While the horse is a real bravura piece, the four allegories have no concern for naturalism or verisimilitude. Bourdelle initially conceived them as seated figures, before opting for archaic full-length figures to enhance legibility and verticality. They were presented in their monumental plaster versions at the SNBA Salons in 1920 and 1922. At the Salon des Tuileries in 1923, visitors discovered the monument in bronze, almost complete but without a pedestal. After the investigations carried out 10 years earlier at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, this latest commission alone sums up Bourdelle's artistic orientation towards synthesis and structure.

Jérôme Godeau