MARIANNE
This work was produced in tribute to Samuel Paty, professor of history and geography at the Bois d'Aulne college in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, in Yvelines, murdered in 2020 for teaching freedom of expression to his students.
Marianne represents the French Republic and its values, as embodied by the motto Liberté, égalité, fraternité. Cachoux depicts France as an idealised image of a young, beautiful, strong and serene woman – a pacifist who looks to the future.
Marianne wears the traditional Phrygian cap, decorated here with an ear of wheat – symbol of a fertile, nurturing and generous France – and an olive branch, symbol of peace and prosperity. Marianne looks to the horizon with confidence. Behind her is placed an axe, evoking a strong and firm France capable of defending itself, and a rooster, the national emblem as well as an ancient Gaulish symbol. As the animal that heralds in the light of day, it embodies the end of darkness and the arrival of a new dawn. Finally, the vivid red and rose of the window behind her evoke a France which shines onto the world through culture and the arts.
