Page 331 - Beholding Liberty!
P. 331
HALL OF THE TROPHIES
II.8.C.4
François-Edouard Bertin (1797-1871) Greek freedom-fighter in the Pnyx
oil on canvas, 80 × 135 cm
Michael and Demetra Varkarakis Collection
THE FRENCH PAINTER François Edouard Bertin, a student of Girodet’s [cat. no I.1.16], has produced this impressive view of the Acropolis, seen from the Pnyx. The figure of a Greek warrior can be seen on the rock. The symbolic association of modern Hellenism with its ancient Greek her-
itage is a powerful archetype in philhellenic art.
Such works of art were highly desirable by Eu- ropean art lovers, who avidly followed develop- ments in the Greek War through textual and vi- sual documents about Greece.
SCENES AND FIGURES OF FREEDOM The phenomenon of Philhellenism 331
