The Panthéon de la
Guerre can be noted as a grand achievement in the field of art not only
once, but twice. Aiming to glorify World
War I heroes and boast the victory of France and the Allied nations, Pierre
Carrier-Belleuse and Auguste-François Gorguet wanted to express clearly and
patriotically the ambitious undertaking in interpreting the varied perspectives
of World War I while the War progressed through art. Several years later and halfway around the
world, an American artist named Daniel MacMorris would use their art to
interpret his visualization of the Great War and give a new life to the Panthéon de la Guerre.
On December 15, 1917, Leroy Daniel MacMorris was inducted into
military service at Jefferson Barracks. While
assigned to the 22nd Photographic Section of the Air Service, MacMorris
viewed the Panthéon de la Guerre in
Paris, France. Fascinated by the Panthéon de la Guerre and the work of
Auguste-François Gorguet, after World War I, MacMorris returned to France as a
student of Gorguet’s. During his five
years in France, MacMorris had his own studio and even held an exhibition at
the Durrand-Ruel Gallery. After the
development of a studio in New York City and a three-year involvement in World
War II, MacMorris relocated to his pre-World War I residence of Kansas City,
Missouri where he undertook some of his most notable work in the murals at
Liberty Memorial.
Dedicated on November 11, 1926, Liberty Memorial in Kansas City,
Missouri, the original exhibit space was divided into two separate entities, Memory
Hall and Museum Building (now Exhibit Hall). According to Mark Levitch, author of Panthéon de la Guerre: Reconfiguring a Panorama of the Great War,
“MacMorris had his initial contact with the Liberty Memorial in 1924, when he
competed for the commission to paint the memorial’s first mural, for the east
wall in Memory Hall.” He was not granted the first commission and it was not
until 1950, that MacMorris completed a mural to be used as decoration for one
of these spaces. In rapid succession, MacMorris
finished a mural for the west wall regarding the 1921 Liberty Memorial
dedication and another mural titled Women
in War on the south wall. After the
two previous commissions, MacMorris was hired by the Liberty Memorial
Association to fill the north wall of Memory Hall.
MacMorris realized the empty 69-foot space needed an
extraordinary composition and after reading about William Haussner acquiring
the Panthéon de la Guerre in LIFE Magazine, MacMorris knew he had
found it. Knowing of its questionable condition,
MacMorris thought this monstrous piece of art would work perfectly for his decorating
plans, which included dividing the painting into usable sections the space could
accommodate. Destined for destruction,
Haussner was reluctant to donate the painting but after receiving no other
offers and the size of the painting remaining a burden, Haussner gave the Panthéon de la Guerre to MacMorris.
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| 1993.29.1-Daniel MacMorris working on the Panthéon de la Guerre in Memory Hall |
Upon receiving the Panthéon
de la Guerre, MacMorris began the fragmentation of the 402-foot painting. MacMorris separated sections of the painting
into 22 stripes, sometimes discarding large portions of the canvas due to
damage or limits on space. MacMorris
left out entire scenes of the Western Front, the monument to the dead, and the
staircase of heroes at the temple of glory; MacMorris later used the staircase
of heroes as wallpaper in Exhibit Hall at Liberty Memorial. In addition to removing entire sections,
MacMorris heavily adapted others. The
French portion of the painting was undoubtedly the largest and MacMorris was
not shy about shaving the section down to merely exist rather than dominate the
painting.
The French section had been the principal feature or the
original painting, however, in MacMorris’ reconfigured work, the painting focused
on the American section, allowing France to play a supporting role as an ally
of the United States. Ironically, because
of late entry in World War I, the United States had been hastily added as an
afterthought to the Panthéon de la Guerre.
The American section received the most attention from
MacMorris. One of the most notable
changes, other than the relocation of the entire section to center, was the
replacement of figures within the United States’ delegation. Able to find three unidentified individuals
in the mass of people, MacMorris replaced them, making them prominent Americans,
even though for the time the figures may not have been historically
important. MacMorris added Democratic
activist Bernard Baruch and future presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry
S. Truman, as well as repainted Colonel Edward House who had been replaced in a
1927 restoration for the United States tour.
At the time of MacMorris’ reconfiguration of the Panthéon de la Guerre, the United States
was steeped in the Cold War and the reworking of the painting to make the
United States seem more democratic is not the only change that made the
feelings of the time blatantly apparent.
Allied countries that had social ties with communism also took a
backseat in MacMorris’ new work of art. Flanking
the United States, the British Empire, France, and Belgium are well represented. Countries embracing communist ideals like the
Soviet Union or Romania were scattered across the painting and embedded in new
locations. For example, King Peter of
Serbia stands above the Romanian royal family and Russian Czar Nicholas stands
below the Belgian royal family.
Despite the “destruction” of the original work, MacMorris protected
the primary focus of the Panthéon de la
Guerre. MacMorris’ conversion of the
painting allowed for the continuation of World War I commemoration via this
grand piece of art while creating a modern perspective of international
relationships and allowing future generations the privilege to view this remarkable
work of art.
For more information about the Panthéon de la Guerre prior to its arrival to Kansas City, check
out Mark Levitch’s book Panthéon de la
Guerre: Reconfiguring a Panorama of the
Great War, which can be purchased from the National World War I Museum’s Store.
Bibliography
Levitch, Mark. Panthéon de la Guerre: Reconfiguring a Panorama of the Great War. Columbia, MO:
University of Missouri Press, 2006.
MacMorris,
Leroy Daniel. 1980.92. National World War I Museum, Kansas City, MO.
