Hracls, archer

"The model for the body of Hracls was Doyen Parigot, a Commandant de Cuirassiers and a physical fitness fanatic, and it was he who suggested posing for Bourdelle. A career officer and very fine all-around athlete, as well as a cultivated man interested in the arts and literature, Parigot used to arrive at the impasse du Maine in full uniform, mounted on his charger. The problem for Bourdelle was that Parigot's muscles were, if anything, overdeveloped and the sculptor experimented with a number of poses. Finally, he settled on the extremely demanding pose of Hracls, in which Parigot's body was best displayed with the taut muscles in harmonious balance. For Bourdelle the dynamism of the pose, the complex volumes, the equilibrium between the spaces and the rhythmic outlines of the elements were all too important, whilst for Parigot it must have constituted a feat of endurance. He was only able to hold the pose for a few minutes at a time, but he made a note of the times and when the sculpture was complete he added them up: he had posed for a total of nine hours" (Cannon-Brookes, op. cit., p. 63).