It is the anniversary of the Chilean victory at Yungay and the traditional Chilean Day Off, 20 January, which motivates us to make a small clarification on the information normally circulates around one of the most iconography important of these historical celebrations.
not go unnoticed the equestrian statue of General Manuel Bulnes, almost in front of the Palacio de la Moneda and the entrance of the long ride that bears his name, guarded by the brave monumental figure of Bernardo O'Higgins, the strong horse jumping enemy forces Disaster of Rancagua, recently happily accompanied by his former opponent within patriot, General Jose Miguel Carrera, in his own horse muscle and elegance. It statues sector in Alameda, in front of Bulnes, is Don José de San Martín. His horse also looks strong independence, unlike the hero carrying the Yungay, which seems to come from the exodus through the desert.
But nothing is for nothing: Unlike other epics of the neighborhood civic statues that celebrate the moments of struggle of the honorees, the statue of Don Manuel Bulnes molded in bronze haughty modesty and serenity of the hero returning victorious but without fanfare from the final battle as tired as his faithful horse, which returns to the same pens that were recently given birth. The heads are low, depleted, and the reins are not stretched, as if the domain of fatigue after winning everything that was communicated in the faithful respect of rider and beast.
The history of the work has been as controversial as her interpretations are made. This is where our intervention is warranted with this entry, we ... Although there have been interests put up a statue to General Bulnes almost since the end of the war against the Peru-Bolivian Confederation, the relationship of this work begins particularly with the preparations for the celebration of First Centenario de la Independencia, also time that other heroes of the first century of the Republic were postulated to have their own monuments.
An Act of June 22, 1904, promulgated by the signatures of President and Minister Germain Manuel Riesco Egidio Ballesteros, provided order to erect "a bronze equestrian statue in honor of General Bulnes" . So it would create a commission headed by the son of the honoree, Don Gonzalo Bulnes, to define and drive the pageant and bases, but everything was put on hold.
is believed that in 1908, was commissioned to design the part to the outstanding National sculptor Virginio Arias, the same creator of the Monument to General Baquedano, also in Alameda, and the statue of Chilean Roto Plaza Yungay. But neither came into port this idea. The chronicler José Rafael Carranza says in "The Battle of Yungay. Memorial roto chileno" that the Government allocated, then the total 100 thousand dollars for the creation of the work. But by abandoning the idea of \u200b\u200bforming a committee, it gave the money directly to the Secretary of the Legation of Chile in Spain, Don Ruperto Vergara Bulnes, who had commissioned a model to Benlliure Valencian artist Mariano Gil.
Carranza recalls that two years later, 25 July 1910, a new law signed this time by the Vice President Elías Fernández Albano and Minister Luis Izquierdo, ordered the laying of the foundation stone for the monument.
He never met any of the two bills before the Centennial celebrations, however, which was held during the International Exhibition of Fine Arts in 1910. He agreed that in this meeting, Spain presented their works, Benlliure two presentations entitled "Your Eminence" and "The Catechism." The artist's talent deeply impressed between the authorities and the public exposure, so he started to float the idea of \u200b\u200bentrusting their talents the creation of the statue of Bulnes, who was still pending.
Some believe that there is no concrete evidence that he has been formally charged Benlliure design, or the request of the Legation in Spain and after the Exhibition Centennial. However, it seems to be more general conviction that it would be his hand that would be after the creation of the statue, or at least during the first stage of its conception. Whether true or not, it was not until the late twenties that took up the project.
The January 2, 1929, Senator Gonzalo Urrejola in the Upper House gave a heartfelt speech in tribute to General Bulnes, lamenting the failure of the law of 1904 which provided for the creation of the statue. Carranza noted that after the applause, the senator introduced a bill which proposed to authorize the President " for a term of two years, to invest the sum of five hundred thousand dollars to erect a bronze statue in honor of the general ", and are charged as extra funding for 1929-1930. The statue would be placed in front of Alameda Avenue and the Plaza Bulnes.
January 22 next, was held at the Senate hearing on the proposed motion, which was reported in the interest of the Committee on Government to give up the plan but suggested reducing the amount of money to 300 thousand pesos and upload it to "economies producing the domestic debt investment, authorized by the Law No. 4586" . With this modification, the law was passed and the President, General Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, promulgated on 11 February 4588 numbered Law.
The issue here again falls into a mystery as difficult to fathom, not having on hand tools. Those who believe that the work developed for the design Benlliure, also assume that it was responsible for making their bases and cast in molds, either here in Chile or in Spain, where he would have sent to Santiago . Others, however, question even the definitive work has been designed by the English artist and say it was the Chilean artist Uren Aliro Pereira who was responsible for the final production of the statue, and even awarded in the category his best work in the Chilean capital. Pereira was the author of the equestrian statue of O'Higgins Square Valparaiso and guarding angels the height of the Basilica of the Sacramentinos , among other works.
Again, whom Carranza will clear things up: he was the President Arturo Alessandri, who got the funds to finance the work assigned to Benlliure and not another, and the statue was cast in Chile, in the workshops of the Santa Casting Maria de Valparaiso. It would be in his government that the work would be ready and mounted on the Alameda, between Galvez Street (now Zenteno) and Nathaniel Cox .
So it was that the statue would be formally inaugurated around the anniversary of the epic of Yungay, September 11, 1937, as recorded in the minutes released by the National Monuments Council, Civic staying in the neighborhood of Santiago today.
The day he was discovered and presented, there was a crowded public event, hundreds of chairs, speakers and the plaza area closed by cordons of police. Also present were representatives of the diplomatic corps, foreign colonies and aging veterans of '79. The Honor Guard was composed of cadets from the Military Academy and a group of scouts surrounded the base of the monument. On the platform were the President Alessandri, Archbishop of Santiago Monsignor Horacio Campillo and City Mayor Don Augusto Subercaseaux Vicuña, the Army Commander General Oscar Novoa Fuentes and the representative of the descendants of the illustrious Don Francisco Bulnes Correa, son of the taxed, who told those present:
"If I would raise my voice, is only to fulfill the wish of our father, of blessed memory, whom the designs of Providence he was deprived of the satisfaction of witnessing this act, he waited so many years. "
laudatory speeches were given, were given away copies of a book on the General, sang the national anthem and, of course, played a solemn hymn of Yungay, with the military band instrumentation.
Thus, we have tried to perhaps unnecessarily discussion Benlliure hand behind the work, being more likely it is that is Suyi ek design of the monument. In most biographies of the artist or even mentioned among his works known. You may Pereira, meanwhile, has had an important role in the creation, but, in our view, there is reasonable doubt to doubt that the sculpture belongs to the English artist, regardless of what little documentation has been gathered allows speculation between large gaps.
addition to the well documented statements by Carranza, there are two important reasons to assume that most of the design and creation of the statue of General Bulnes, belong to Benlliure:
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The statue of General Bulnes has the same expression as other memorials Benlliure known as the Statue of General Arsenio Martínez Campos, the Buen Retiro in Madrid (1907), the del Libertador José de San Martín, Plaza de Lima (1921) and Miguel Primo de Rivera, in Jerez de la Frontera (1929), among others. In all, more or less emphasis, however, emphasize the hero on a horse tired, exhausted, returning from the front so exhausted and must be victorious. This seal was, therefore, a characteristic of his artistic style.
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In Punta Arenas, in the Plaza Bulnes, there is a bronze statue similar to here in Santiago, to celebrate in that city to Don Manuel Bulnes, as President of the Republic ordered the colonization of the Strait Magellan and the founding of the famous southern strong to be baptized with his name. The monument was erected in 1938 and after being sent by the President Alessandri Palma, so it certainly should be based on the same figure molds newly placed in Santiago. Well, in the work of Punta Arenas is clearly engraved on the bronze that the author of it is ... Mariano Benlliure!
What doubt remains, then? To art historians with the reputation of Victor Mariano Carvalho, for example, defended the idea that Benlliure-and other-is not necessarily the author, but remain in the twilight the issue of exactly where it was founded and who completed this process .
Gil Mariano Benlliure
statue of General Martinez Campos, Benlliure. Its similarities with the style and expressiveness of the statue of General Bulnes are evident. (This image is not mine: it corresponds to a memorial chain e-mail stating that no source of photography and would appreciate any information on it.)
Entries in the high pedestal of the monument of the district Santiago Civic recall the biography of the famous Chilean general. You will remember parts of his military life, their government and, above all, the many historic landmarks that are achieved during the year. Someday we will devote some resemblance to this character that was so valuable for the history of Santiago and around Chile, especially in the years after the Republican organization.
Unfortunately, the vernacular and incorrigible ignorance of Chilean society, mixed with the poison of political passion retrograde claims "revisionists," has led some thugs to attack the monument, throwing bags of spray-painting or scratching it during riots, a dick who knows what its current association with evil and suffering, now transposed retroactively by Timeline sins of others as one of the best generals that Chile has had and the work of one of the most sought after modern English artists.
As stated earlier, we wanted to publish this information, with more features for clarification, precisely in the proximity of the anniversary of the victory of Yungay, 1839, devoted itself to the glory of General Bulnes in encyclopedias, history American.
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