Despiau, Charles

(1874-1946)

   sculptor

   Born in Mont-de-Marsan, Charles Despiau, after studying at the Beaux-Arts academy in Paris, became an assistant to auguste rodin (1907). His statues and bas-reliefs, representing mythological themes (Bacchante, 1909; Faune, 1912; Léda, 1917; Apollon, 1936-46), nudes (Assia, 1938) and less traditional subjects (Petite fille des Landes, 1909), reveal, despite the influence of naturalism, a classicist tendency that translates into quiet expression, calm composition, and harmonious and supple form. He produced some commemorative works (monument at Mont-de-Marsan, 1920-22), but above all he emerges as a portraitist in his numerous busts. His concern for precision in the rendering of features and psychological truth go together with his fine modeling and seem to reconcile with a tendency toward idealization, translated into a formal harmony and serene expressive character (Mme Faure, 1927; Mme Agnes Meyer, 1929). Despiau's work, with its technical mastery, can be seen as a continuation of the classical tradition.