8. Picturing Patriotism: The Image of the Artist-Hero and the Belgian Nation State, 1830–1900

Abstract

In Belgium, whose case will be the focus of this chapter, the desire to commemorate the national past was felt particularly urgent following the country's independence in 1830. Many of these images share common features, particular formulas of representation which underline their patriotic function. The first is the use by some artists of the device, learned from Ingres and others, of referencing real works of art by the old masters in these imagined scenes, usually by showing them on an easel in the artist's studio. The emphasis on municipal patriotism is also present in the other theme which links many of the genre scenes, one that pays tribute to the status of the artist in civic life. It concludes that, there is still much to be discovered about the particular networks of patronage and consumption that fed this artistic climate, as well as the political context in which it unfolded. Keywords:1830; artist-hero; Belgian nation state; national past; picturing patriotism