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DiaporamaThe Allegory of the Sorbonne
This composition symbolizes the Sorbonne, one of Paris’s historic universities. According to Puvis, the woman enthroned at center personifies the school. Figures surrounding her represent the institution’s ideals and major areas of study, including philosophy, history, and the sciences. Puvis made this sketch during his final year of work on a mural that he completed for the grand lecture hall of the new Sorbonne building in 1889. The grid lines used to transfer the present composition are visible through the paint.
Pierre Cécile Puvis de Chavannes (1824 – 1898)
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes: French painter known for monumental murals & allegorical scenes, profoundly influencing Symbolism and shaping public art in late 19th-century France.
About this artwork
- Title: The Allegory of the Sorbonne
- Artist: Pierre Cécile Puvis de Chavannes
- Year: 1889
- Original dimensions: 83.0 x 458.0 cm
- Copyright status: Public domain
- Corpus context: symbolist tradition , monumental allegory – defining style
- Keywords: muted earth tones , sorbonne murals , allegorical figures
- Topics: allegory , france , mythology
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