Castor and Pollux Rescuing Helen 1818

Sébastien-Louis-Guillaume Norblin de la Gourdaine created this ink and wash drawing, Castor and Pollux Rescuing Helen, at a time when French artists were deeply engaged with the art of the past, especially classical antiquity. We see the artist grapple here with how the values of the antique world could be relevant to revolutionary France. The visual codes are clear: the idealized bodies, classical drapery, and the architectural ruins behind. But this isn't just a copy of antique forms. Norblin was deeply involved in the political upheavals of his time and served in the national guard. The scene depicts a moment from Greek mythology where Helen is rescued, but it also reflects contemporary concerns about heroism, civic duty, and the protection of virtue in a time of social upheaval. Understanding this work fully requires us to delve into both its classical sources and the institutional history of French art academies during the revolutionary period.