Marian – A trip to Paris following a French symbol

Meet Marian!

These are the days of “if there is no bread, they will eat cakes.” The French people were starving. Out of deep despair over the monarchy, Marianne was born. Her name is probably a hybrid of Marie and Anne, two common names among the common people. The 18th-century revolutionaries sought to shake off a male, oppressive, and outdated rule and chose an allegorical figure of their own imagination, created to represent the values ​​of France The free, the new. The rebels chose a woman as a refreshing and innovative antithesis to power, hoping that she would lead them to a new future.

Marianne became one of the symbols of the Republic alongside the tricolor flag and the national motto: “Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.” She managed to maintain her status as one of the most significant women in French culture for over 200 years.

Marianne is a beautiful woman. The French have always had a passion for beauty and sensuality. Her body is solid and her eyes are burning. On her head is the Phrygian cap, which was the hat of freed slaves in ancient Rome. Since the 18th century, the Phrygian cap has symbolized the struggle for freedom and the belief in the values ​​of human freedom. This was started by the Jacobins in France, who adopted the red Phrygian cap as their hallmark. In France, it is called the “Cap of Liberty.”

Already in the first days after the storming of the Bastille, this figure stirred the French. Marianne prospered over the years and her popularity grew, so much so that today her portrait is featured on the official logo of the French government.

Her portrait is imprinted on coins and stamps.

For 200 years, the French and the establishment did not give Marianne her own face. Her power lay in her symbolism: the Phrygian cap of freedom, sometimes the armor she wears indicates the power and strength of the people, the crown with the star symbolizes wisdom, the lion that sometimes accompanies her symbolizes the courage and strength of the people, etc.

Marian takes shape

Why is Marianne portrayed as a young beauty whose shirt highlights or reveals her breasts? Apparently the French tend to prefer secularism, are not afraid of nudity, appreciate natural beauty, and admire aesthetics.

After 200 years of anonymous Mariannes, it was decided to give the allegorical statue a familiar and, of course, beautiful French face. The symbol of the French Republic cannot be without chic…

Thus began the tradition of giving the allegorical statue a familiar French face. The first chosen was the actress Brigitte Bardot. In France, as in France, explosive beauty, nudity and a stormy love life are not perceived as problematic. On the contrary, they are a symbol of sacred freedom.

Thus, in effect, the way was paved for the culture of "celebrity", not a woman loaded with symbols and revolutionary ideas, but... a model.

Other models were: actress Catherine Deneuve, singer Mireille Mathieu, fashionista Ines de la Persance, model Letizia Casta, etc. You can meet all the women who modeled Marianne in the following video:

Marianne also appeared in one of the popular French pop songs, namely Que Marianne était jolie (How Beautiful Marianne Was) by Michel Delfèche:

If you would like to read a little more about the song and the singer, you are welcome to read Dr. Orna Lieberman's article. Michel Delfèche, the troubadour who sang from the heart to the heart.

And now we will follow in Marianne's footsteps in Paris...an easy task and also a difficult one...an easy task, since statues of Marianne have been placed since the revolution in government offices, courthouses, town halls and squares. Many works of art have immortalized her image. A task that is also difficult...because you only have to choose a few examples..

A Paris itinerary following Marianne

Louvre Museum: “Liberty Leading the People” Eugene Delacroix 1830

The painting found inThe Louvre Museum Commemorates the July 1830 coup in France. The citizens of France rebelled against King Charles X. The rebels opposed the king's policies that strengthened the position of the king and the church. Following the revolution, Louis Philippe was appointed King of France. Unlike his predecessor, Louis Philippe was subject to the constitution, and under his rule, more political rights were granted to the country's citizens.

In the foreground of the painting, the colossal figure of Marianne, the allegorical figure of liberty, towers above all others. This is the first or most prominent embodiment in the painting of the new natural right, the fruit of the Enlightenment philosophy that the Revolution gave birth to. The painting glorifies liberty.

Liberty, like the classical muses, is a woman, a fictional character, a massive Amazon who leads the struggle named after her. Her chest is bare. Seduction and sexuality are attached to her… The bare chest is the thread that connects ancient Greece (the cradle of democracy) and the ancient Roman Republic.

In one hand she waves the tricolor flag and in the other she holds a rifle from a magazine. Her gaze is turned to the side, to the fighters for her name, she walks barefoot on the field of slaughter.

Delacroix, who witnessed the revolution in 1830, wrote: “If I could not fight for liberty, at least I could paint for it.”

Arc de Triomphe

On a visit toArc de Triomphe , the monumental site, we will focus on the most famous statue.

Francois Rude's masterpiece depicts a historical event: the Battle of Valmy took place in 1792. Volunteer soldiers went into battle to defend the young republic against Austrian and Prussian forces.

François Reid had a personal connection to the event, for him the creation of the statue was a closing of a circle. He was born at the time French Revolution And he remembered that his revered father had joined the volunteer army to defend the new French Republic. Francois Reid was a passionate Bonapartist. When Napoleon was finally defeated and sent into exile, Francois knew that he had no What to do in Paris As someone identified with Napoleon's supporters, he went into exile in Belgium and returned after more than ten years.

In 1830, King Louis Philippe came to power and decided to finish the construction of the Arc de Triomphe, which had begun during Napoleon's reign.

Reed is invited to sculpt a statue for the front of the gate. The assignment is accepted with enthusiasm.

François prepares a dramatic, dynamic, impressive statue. Marianne, here too, is an allegorical figure, a goddess of war for freedom. But, for freedom one must fight! She wears armor and a helmet. She holds a long sword. Her mouth is open, she shouts and spurs the volunteers to go on the attack. Below her are six men holding weapons and ready to fight.

The French thought it was the most beautiful statue in the Arc de Triomphe and they named it “La Marseillaise” after the French anthem written in 1792.

Republic Square (Place de la Republique)

The Place de la République in Paris is located on the border of theThird Quarter, thetenth AndElevenIn its center stands a large statue dedicated to Marian, and at her feet are three allegorical statues representing liberty, equality, and fraternity.

The square took its shape during the Second Empire as part of Haussmann's plan for the renewal of Paris.

Place de la Nation

Nation Square is located between The 11rd District ל12th DistrictIn the center of the square is a large bronze statue called “The Triumph of the Republic” featuring Marianne. French Revolution The square is called: “Throne Square.” On July 26, 1660, a throne was erected there in honor of the return of Louis XIV and Maria Theresa from their wedding which took place in Saint Jean de Luz. During the French Revolution the square was called the “Place de la Throne inversé” and a guillotine was placed in the southern part of the square. It was the most active guillotine in the city. The bodies were buried in the nearby Picpus cemetery.

One of the dead was the poet André Chénier (1762–1794). His tragic story is told in an opera by the Italian composer Umberto Giordano. Unfortunately, he was executed three days before the end of the Reign of Terror.

The central statue in the square was erected in 1889 to commemorate 100 years after the French Revolution. Marianne stands above a globe in a carriage and is surrounded by symbolic figures.

The statue used to stand in a pond, and crocodiles emerged from the water around it. Crocodiles were a symbol of the enemies of democracy. The crocodiles disappeared during the German occupation of France in World War II. The Vichy government ordered the removal and destruction of all metal monuments and statues for melting, unless they had “historical or artistic interest.” Anything that could offend the Germans was considered ugly or radical and sent to a terrible grave of metals. This is what happened to the statues that symbolized liberalism. Progress, avant-garde…

The French Senate building

The French Senate building is located inLuxembourg Gardens The building displays a rich collection of Marian busts.

And finally…

In the Luxembourg Gardens we will sit on one of the benches and finish the tour following Marianne. You can take out your headphones and hear a wonderful aria from the opera André Chénier. The aria is called “La mama morta” and it describes the horrors of the Reign of Terror.

Below you can watch a segment from the ballet “The Flames of Paris” in which the dancer appears in the Marianne costume.

Enjoy!

And really, finally…

The 2024 Summer Olympics are set to be held in Paris for the third time in its history. May… may… we arrive at this day in a different atmosphere… guess who graces the event’s “chic” logo!?