Mission Accomplished

The image of Joan that struck me the most in our studies of her so far, was the final image we viewed on Monday. While we looked at statues of her as a soldier and her in prayer, I found the oil painting of her by Paul Baudry to be the most intriguing. We remarked that it was unlike any form we had seen of her before, dressed very womanly yet still with a proud posture, but we did not have time to discuss it at length. However, I was itching to do so.

This image of Joan, intended to hang in the Pantheon, though the project was not completed, depicts Saint Joan, not Joan as a soldier, not Joan as a girl, not Joan as a victim, but Joan as a saint. In one of our readings, Joan agreed to wear women's clothing after her mission from God was complete. Then, Baudry would be right to depict Saint Joan in women's clothing. Theoretically her mission would be complete upon the English's departure from France, if not upon the moment of her death. Both of these events occur well before her canonization.

I think it is an interesting theme, and one that is central to our course, to look at how a human being becomes an icon. That is, a human life can take on meaning as a symbol of nationalism, of virtue, or of some perfection. While no individual can be perfect, in our memories and histories, we build up these icons to give us a standard to strive towards. It is then difficult to say if Baudry's depiction of Joan is the most realistic or the most fantastic. Perhaps, it is simply the closest representation to Joan as she is seen in our society: angelic, ethereal, perfect, proud, and feminine, but strong.