Page 431 - Beholding Liberty!
P. 431
HALL OF THE ADJUTANTS
ΙΙΙ.9.8
Marie-Hector Yvert (unidentified artist) Greek hero, 1843
oil on canvas, 116 × 90 cm
Michael and Demetra Varkarakis Collection. 24
A LARGE-SCALE WORK, signed and dated by the French artist Marie-Hector Yvert, in an elabo- rate period frame.
Against the background of an idyllic landscape, with vegetation and a water body, is shown a male figure, centre, dressed from the waist down in elaborately decorated clothing and wearing a fez. However, his torso is nude, making his athletic body stand out, slightly turned to the left, as is his head. The art- ist has skillfully highlighted the nudity of the young male figure. This is an ideal nude of a Greek hero, before or after the battle, in contemplation.
This anonymous hero represents, in a sense, all Greek Revolution fighters – the thousands of ordi- nary Greeks and philhellenes who gave their lives on the altar of liberty.
HEROON OF THE STUGGLE The Heroes of the sword 431
