 He was eventually exchanged and returned to France through Switzerland.Embraced as a victim of German "Kultur", Lemordant became an inspirational speaker, talking about the effects of his blindness, and the role of the artist in society.He believed that France was victorious over Germany because a series of great artists (Carrière, Sisley, Pissarro, Puvis de Chavannes and Rodin) had kept the spirit of art and sacrifice alive in France.