Force, Victory, Liberty, and Eloquence were created to surround an equestrian monument to the Argentine general Alvear (1788-1852), one of the founders of the modern state of Argentina, celebrating his achievements leading the army during the War of Independence. The equestrian monument was placed on a square column in a plaza in Buenos Aires, with these four statues standing in the four corners. Heracles the Archer depicts the moment when the titular hero of Greek mythology is about to shoot the Stymphalian birds. Émile-Antoine Bourdelle joined Rodin's studio in 1893, where he served as Rodin's assistant (rough sculpting) for approximately 15 years. Bourdelle loved and respected Rodin, but he gradually moved away from Rodin's romanticism and realism, aiming to create a durable, architectural "sculpture as a new reality." He looked for his subjects in mythology while being attracted to the simple, sturdy forms of both archaic Greek sculpture and Romanesque sculpture, fusing both of these styles in his work.