Pénélope, Paris Musées 20230618143902, Antoine Bourdelle, En 1909

Author(s): bourdelle, antoine (emile antoine bourdelle, known as) (montauban, 30–10–1861 - le vésinet, 01–10–1929), sculptor production date: in 1909 dating in century: 20th century type(s) of object(s): sculpture name(s): round materials and techniques: bronze dimensions - artwork: height: 173cm width: 63cm depth: 63 cm weight (type dimension): 250 g historical commentary: between 1905 and 1912, bourdelle devoted himself to the figure of penelope, wife of ulysses, who faithfully awaited the return of her husband. He created three versions of different sizes, with a few variations. The one that the petit palais has is an intermediate version, without a spindle, with a protruding foot. This is the second copy of the intermediate penelope, probably cast between 1924 and 1946. At the origin of the work, we find at the bourdelle museum several sketches that he made of the silhouette of his student, his future second wife, cleopatra sévastos contemplating a work of art in a london museum. One of them is poetically subtitled sevastos before the divine hindus and dated of august 1906. Pénélope's face, on the other hand, owes a lot to that of his first wife, stéphanie van parys. Pénélope reflects various influences, at work in bourdelle's sculpture since the 1900s. She owes her hip position, called a contraposto, and her caryatid drape to ancient greece; she has the attitude of a tanagra, those antique statuettes so collected at the turn of the century. It borrows its full forms from indian statuary, of which bourdelle is a great admirer. Its sinuosity is reminiscent of that of the parisian gothic virgins of the 14th century. These scholarly references are put to the service of a very modern construction in geometric plans, and an original, almost cubist base, which anchor the work in modernity. A. S. Themes / subjects / places represented: mythological figure, greco-roman mythology, the odyssey, by homer person / character depicted: penelope (greek mythology) mode of acquisition: transfer name of donor, testator, seller: bourdelle-sévastos, cleopatra date of acquisition: 31–12–1938 institution: petit palais, museum of fine arts of the city of paris contains. Date: En 1909.