Statue of Jeanne d'Arc, Paris, a photo from Ile-de-France, North

Photographer's Note

Statue of Jeanne d'Arc, Place des Pyramides, Paris

Passing down rue de Rivoli, almost at the height of the Pavillon de Marsan, you come across the rectangular and very small square, Place des Pyramides, three sides of it enclosed by buildings with colonnades. At the centre of this square rises up the equestrian statue of Joan of Arc, sculpted by Frémiet in 1874.

The statue

Emmanuel Frémiet (December 6, 1824 - 1910, in Paris, France) was a French sculptor. He is famous for his sculpture of Joan of Arc in Paris (and its "sister" statue in Philadelphia) and the monument to Ferdinand de Lesseps in Suez.
He was a nephew and pupil of Rude and chiefly devoted himself to animal sculpture and to equestrian statues in armour. His earliest work was in scientific lithography (osteology), and for a while he served in times of adversity in the gruesome office of painter to the Morgue. In 1843 he sent to the Salon a study of a Gazelle, and after that date worked prolificly. His "Wounded Bear" and "Wounded Dog" were produced in 1850, and the Luxembourg Museum at once secured this striking example of his work.
In the 1850s, Frémiet produced various Napoleonic works. In 1853, Frémiet, "the leading sculptor of animals in his day" exhibited bronze sculptures of Emperor Napoleon III's basset hounds at the Paris Salon. Soon afterwards, from 1855 to 1859 Frémiet was engaged on a series of military statuettes for Napoleon III. He produced his equestrian statue of Napoleon I in 1868, and of Louis d'Orlans of 1869 (at the Château de Pierrefonds) and in 1874 the first equestrian statue of Joan of Arc, erected in the Place des Pyramides. Paris; this he afterwards (1889) replaced with another and still finer version. During this period he also executed "Pan and the bear cubs", also acquired by the Luxembourg Museum and now in the Musée d’Orsay.

Jeanne d'Arc

Joan of Arc, nicknamed "The Maid of Orléans" (ca. 1412– 30 May 1431), is a folk heroine of France and a Roman Catholic saint. A peasant girl born in what is now eastern France who claimed divine guidance, she led the French army to several important victories during the Hundred Years' War, which paved the way for the coronation of Charles VII of France. She was captured by the Burgundians, transferred to the English in exchange for money, put on trial by the pro-English Bishop of Beauvais Pierre Cauchon for charges of "insubordination and heterodoxy,"and was burned at the stake for heresy when she was only 19 years old.
Twenty-five years after her execution, an inquisitorial court authorized by Pope Callixtus III examined the trial, pronounced her innocent, and declared her a martyr. Joan of Arc was beatified in 1909 and canonized in 1920. She is – along with St. Denis, St. Martin of Tours, St. Louis IX, and St. Theresa of Lisieux – one of the patron saints of France. Joan said that she had visions from God that instructed her to recover her homeland from English domination late in the Hundred Years' War. The uncrowned King Charles VII sent her to the siege of Orléans as part of a relief mission. She gained prominence when she overcame the dismissive attitude of veteran commanders and lifted the siege in only nine days. Several additional swift victories led to Charles VII's coronation at Reims and settled the disputed succession to the throne. (Source: aviewonacities/paris & wikipedia)

danos, csabagaba, daddo, lakshmip1949, timecapturer, joso, asajernigan, francio64, jlbrthnn, Sonata11, bukitgolfb301, ChrisJ, abmdsudi has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

siudzi (23879) 2012-06-15 1:36

Hi George,

Amazing golden statue of this great hero! Very well seen and presented on the clear blue sky. The visual effect is absolutely awesome. Well done, tfs!

Regards,
Malgorzata

danos (73974) 2012-06-15 1:36

Hello George,
nice the POV with the gold statue of Jeanne d'Arc to outlined perfect against the blue of the sky.I like the clarity of the image,with the details of the statue as the building behind to are so sharp.

Have a good day,Danos

lousat (57626) 2012-06-15 1:47

Waaw Jorge,what a magnificent choice of point of view to create this imposing perspective,i like your idea and this spectacular contrast between the gold of statue and the dark blue of sky,great details too.Have a nice weekend and thanks,Luciano

csabagaba (6435) 2012-06-15 1:51

Szia Gyuri!
Jó nézőpontot választottál. Lehet, hogy csak az én kajla gondolkodásom láttatja velem, de ez a ló a kajla fülével és röhögő pofájával szép ellentétet képez a hősnő elszánt arckifejezésével:-)
Ezek a fránya franciák minden vackukba beleraknak egy kis csavart:-)
Emlékeim szerint, mintha a Sacre Cour-on is lenne valami hason ló:-)
Most ennyit, szép napot és a beigért kánikulát a hétvégére.
Csaba

daddo (18517) 2012-06-15 2:30

Hi George. I remember when I was in grade 5 in Paris how Jeanne was talked about by both teachers and pupils. She was to us children a figure much larger than life and we loved and admired her. This photo with its POV makes her look formidable, determined, unafraid. Great colours and light. Regards. Klaudio.

ifege (9430) 2012-06-15 2:46

Hi George - great angle, great shot
cheers
Ian

timecapturer (30324) 2012-06-15 2:59

Hi Gyorgy
amazing POV and effective composition. So imposing and wonderfully sharp. Love the light on the gold which is perfectly controlled and set against this backdrop so attractive and compelling.

Have an enjoyable weekend - Brian.

lakshmip1949 (19110) 2012-06-15 3:01

Hello George,

Beautiful golden statue of this famous peasant girl who became a folk hero. I have read about her in school. A nice way to honor her.You have framed it very well by showing a part of the architecture behind her and the blue sky above her. The colors and sharpness are excellent.

Lakshmi

dkmurphys (36801) 2012-06-15 3:40

Hi Gyorgy,
Very fine POV with this golden impressive statue. Well catch, have a nice weekend.

Daniel

dta (51418) 2012-06-15 4:03

Hello George ,
The contrast of the golden statue with the blue sky is superb . The POV and teh framing are effective .
Well done .

asajernigan (19669) 2012-06-15 4:19

Hello George,
This is a nice view of this statue. The upward view places the statue against the blue sky. The lighting is great and the photo has fine color.
TFS,
Asa

francio64 (38188) 2012-06-15 4:43

Hi George,
ottima prospettiva con POV dal basso che dà alla statua equestre un ottimo ruolo di protagonista.
Ottimo il cielo blu di sfondo.

TFS!
L'Assessore

rmajum (1077) 2012-06-15 5:12

Hello George,
Well selected upward angle for the shot gives a better view of the statue against the bdeep blue sky.Very sharp and well lit with nice colours. The building behind acts a good background. Well framed.
I have a picture of the same statue, but different POV. Will upload someday.
Best Regards
Ranjan

Sergiom (39223) 2012-06-15 5:18

Bonjour George

C'est ce que j'aime de Paris. Le soin maniaque que la ville apporte à ses monuments et statues. Une contre plongée violente mais efficace qui donne toute une ampleur à Jeanne D'Arc.

Amicalement

Serge

jlbrthnn (79773) 2012-06-15 7:44

Hello George,
It can hardly be more spectacular. This historical figure and partly legendary, is remarkably enhanced. The light, colors and sharpness are excellent. Bravo.
Have a nice day
Cordially
Joël

alpi1500 (1376) 2012-06-15 8:03

Hi
Nice POV and succesful management of light.
Have a nice day.

Sonata11 (28331) 2012-06-15 12:07

Hello George,
This statue of Jeanne of d'Arc isvery impressive and beautiful in gold colors. Fantastic effect from low POV and on BG beautiful architecture. Striking beautiful photo. Excellent execution. Awesome!!!!I love it.
All the best and have a great WE,
Barbara

jemaflor (68913) 2012-06-15 12:13

Hi George,
Very impressive reult, good angle for the shot, so ovely golden brightness for this statue with an interesting blue BG, tfs.

bukitgolfb301 (30065) 2012-06-15 16:24

Hi dear George

Wow gretaest shot!
I like this one best of week from you.
Very solemn and impressive shot indeed.
Shining golden horse is so wondeful and tasteful.
Best cropped framework and sharp image as usual.
Thanks for your sharing, and have a good weekend!
Best regards,

Takero from rainy Tokyo

npecanhuk (53901) 2012-06-15 17:47

Hello George!
Wonderful golden statue!
Very beautiful and truly attractive picture!
Chosen pov, vertical format, composition, colors, exposure, sharpness and black & white borders are all excellent!
TFS - congrats,
Cheers,
Neyvan

siamesa (27449) 2012-06-15 17:55

Boa noite george

I was 10 years when I read the history of Joana D'Arc.. I loved it and I became amazed with her. Excellent capture.
Abraços
maria

jjcordier (62328) 2012-06-15 22:34

George
Une contreplongée assez impressionnante sur la statue dorée de Jeanne d'Arc qui contraste de belle façon avec le ciel bleu. Un symbole de la France malheureusement pas toujours bien exploité par certains partis politiques.
Amicalement
JJ

amazon (12082) 2012-06-17 6:00

selam george,
bu tür haşmetli kareleri ben de çok seviyorum, arkadaki bina biraz dikkati dağıtsa da nefis bir fotoğraf olmuş ,adeta heykele can vermişsin,buna benzer Atatürk'ün bir heykelini çekmiştim geçen senelerde, lütfen o fotoğrafıma bak;http://www.trekearth.com/viewphotos.php?l=7&p=1145484
selamlar,
iffet

distribute Although little attention has been building behind a photo of the delicious, almost gave the statue life like this for the last few years I took a statue of Ataturk, please look at the photos with;http://www.trekearth.com/viewphotos.php?l=7&p=1145484

ChrisJ (86862) 2012-06-17 9:18

Hi George,

A superb upward pov with a wonderful warm cold color contrast between the golden statue of Joan of Arc & the blue sky. Good sharpness & superb graphism. I am always saddened by her untimely demise and the shabby treatment by the prince that she fought so hard to save.

vasilpro (40192) 2012-06-17 23:04

Hello George,
Wonderful composition, beautiful gold statue, excellent light management, vivid colors, very nice POV and perspective, very good contrast and sharpness, TfS!
Have a nice week, Vasilis.

abmdsudi (26233) 2012-06-19 6:57

Hi George
This is fabulous image taken from impressivelow pov with the golden statue is very dominating and well placed that brings all its features to life. Crispy, bright and superb contrast against deep blue sky, making this a very fine image. The overall effect is very pleasing to the eye with those colors. Brilliant capture, Congrats.
Warm regards