Jean-Antoine Houdon

Jean-Antoine Houdon(1741-1828 AD), a French sculptor in the second half of the 18th century. He is the son of a porter in the affiliated school of the Royal Painting and Sculpture College. Wudong entered this school when he was seven years old. At the age of 15, he entered the Paris Academy of Fine Arts and studied under the guidance of masters Pigalle and Le Moyne. At the age of 20, he won the Rome Prize and later went to Italy to study for five years. During his study abroad, his works, such as "Escosi" and "San Bruno", were meticulous about the psychological aspects of the characters and received high praise in Italy. After returning home, he has been a professor at the Paris Academy of Fine Arts. Many of his works have been widely praised and are considered as the great portrait sculptor at the end of the 18th century.

Wudong's sculpture art may mainly lie in the portrait sculpture. Later generations called Wudong "the master who made the stone statue have spirit and life".

Wudong created a large number of vivid and vivid portraits for scientists, politicians, thinkers and artists in the 18th century French Enlightenment. Wudong is particularly good at depicting the eyes of characters, and he is good at using this wonderful "eye touch". His works show the wisdom and cunning of Voltaire, the simplicity and confidence of Franklin, the solemnity and grandeur of Washington, and the depth and wisdom of Diderot through the shaping of his eyes. These portrait sculptures can be said to be unique in terms of their outstanding characters, profound ideological characteristics and strong connotation and charm.

The marble statue Voltaire (1782) created by Wu Dong, 53 cm high, is known as the most outstanding portrait sculpture in the history of sculpture. This statue is a true and emotional record of the image of this wise and distinctive elder, with profound and delicate personality characteristics. Voltaire's thin face is so firm, his penetrating eyes convey his inner passion, and his mouth shows a smile of understanding and ridicule. This seated figure was created by Wudong immediately after returning to Paris after years of exile in Voltaire. Voltaire is shown as wearing the ancient spacious long-distance running image and leaning forward. Old, but his face is still full of vigorous and compelling courage. Voltaire's limpid body seems to tell the wisdom of the elderly's fortitude in the face of danger, and the smooth and general clothing pattern also shows a solemn and noble temperament. The most attractive thing should be the wonderful carving of the eyes, and the moving and wonderful few knives, which reveal the infinite mystery of the characters in the space dialogue.