BRONZE WITH BROWN PATINA, "THE PRISONER" SIGNED EDOUARD DROUOT

Brown patina bronze sculpture depicting "The Prisoner", a man in motion, standing on ruins (remains of ancient columns and capitals). The prisoner has just freed himself from the ropes binding his wrists. The movement of his gesture is perfectly perceptible, and the power of his angry body reveals the intensity of the moment. It stands on a dark-green marble base. Signed "E. Edouard Drouot (1859-1945) was a French sculptor who began his career as a genre painter, but devoted the rest of his life to sculpture. At a very young age, he left his native village to study in Paris in the studio of Emile Thomas and then Mathurin Moreau (1822-1912). Moreau taught him a very academic and official style of sculpture, in keeping with the tastes of the time. But Édouard Drouot favored movement and expressiveness in his work. His figures are staged in precariously balanced poses, giving them an irresistible grace, as demonstrated by his famous bronze sculpture of the Greek God Pan. Drouot's sculptures are reminiscent of the fluidity, rhythm and curves of Art Nouveau. Circa: 1890 Dim: W:34cm, D:20cm, H:54cm. Slight patina wear on the trunk. The marble base is in very good condition.