FOURTEEN EUROPEAN SCULPTORS - GALLERY 47 EAST 77 NEW YORK

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Ivy

The text provides an exhibition foreword discussing late nineteenth-century sculpture and the artistic forces that shaped it around the turn of the century. It contrasts opposing tendencies toward intensification and repose, emphasizing inner and outer gesture, fluid form, and the restless movement of sculptural material. The discussion profiles major sculptors—Rodin, Hildebrand, Maillol, Minne, Brancusi, Barlach, and Lehmbruck—highlighting how their approaches express timeless symbol, epic pathos, and concentrated human continuity through differing ideals of form and space. It frames the exhibition as a presentation of fourteen sculptors and their distinct positions in their time.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages30

Reading Time46 min

AccessFree to download

FOREWORD

иму,оемо,сошеоераяк31430006427b凸凸 100 1 锡 91430020827350 # FOURTEENUROPEANSCULPTORSSTAEMPFLI ## GALLERY47EAST77NEW YORK i1.9三8、 7 ### FOREWORD 1128593 Towards the end of the nineteenth century two opposingplastic tendencies confronted each other:Movementwith the result of intensification-and repose with theresult of concentration. What mattered was not only the figure,conditioned andcarried by inner or outer gesture,or the expression,stim-ulated and occasionally intensified to instantaneousness.Just as important were the restless movement of theplastic substance and the fluidity of form.These experi-ences,which were in opposition to the classical conceptof sculpture,could only be developed by a genius likeRodin. In opposition to his work stood the creations of his Ger-man contemporary,Adolf von Hildebrand,and,one gen-eration removed,of Aristide Maillol.They recognizedsculpture as a self-contained volume of unbroken form:Hildebrand with a clear academic accent;and Maillolwith a wider,European validity and a natural dependenceon antique concepts,which are still a matter of course inthe Mediterranean. The human figure remains valid for both directions,whether it is given to dynamic expansion and to somethingpassing and ephemeral,or whether it retains in persistentconcentration the continuity of its existence. Out of these trends and possibilities grew the generationof sculptors which matured around the turn of the cen-tury.They continued to accept the human image in itsnatural reality.In its wealth of appearance and expressionit has remained the main content of their art.One of themwas the Belgian Georges Minne.Under the influence ofRodin,he was stimulated by medieval sculpture and wasdirected towards social themes by his compatriot Con-stantin Meunier.His chaste nudes with their reticentgestures are dominated by a rhythm which is supposed to express the purity of emotion.The accent is not on con-tinuous invention and creation,not on change and varia-tion,but rather on the repetition of the already discovered,which finds its epic exaltation in a progression of equiv-alents.Minne found thus a principle which became im-portant for Art Nouveau. interpretations but are raised to timeless images.In spiteof their great reserve,each form and each expression isdetermined and clarified. Beside these artists new creative forces erupted whichpointed in completely unknown directions.Brancusi re-duced form to its last and purest constants,and de-manded the ultimate definition of theme and expression.He captured form in its essence,and made it a valid eventin itself,as elementary as the spiritual concepts t em-bodied.Brancusi has returned to sculpture the genuinedepth and immutability of the symbol,and has thus be-stowed on art a forgotten completeness. #### Ernst Barlach combined the qualities of a sculptor,authorand dramatist.His figures,usually carved in wood,arecarried by a broad,epic pathos.They are weighted by pre-monitions and marked by visions.Their form is concen-trated and condensed with harsh and powerful energyinto one visual statement.Barlach's art is tied closely tothe primitive forces of our existence,to the sensual drivesof life.It reflects the entanglements and elevation of manin his temporary state as well as his visions of eternity. Concurrently with these efforts to condense sculpture toan absolute form and symbolical content,new construc-tions appeared which were derived from the technicalclimate of our era.Through the medium of partial or totalabstraction,they were able to assume a new meaning.The material is understood in its inherent validity andused to communicate new statements.The"technicalaspect"becomes a free agent,a purpose in itself.The de-velopment of Gonzales,the works of Naum Gabo andPevsner,make clear how differently these inventive re-groupings have been instrumented. Typical for the artistic span of those years is the contrastbetween this willful and almost primeval,se

FAQs

What opposing sculptural tendencies are discussed in the foreword?

The foreword describes two opposing tendencies at the end of the nineteenth century: intensification with repose, leading to either concentration or resting form.

Why is movement and fluidity of form considered important?

It states that not only the figure and expression matter, but also the restless movement of the plastic substance and the fluidity of form.

Which sculptors are highlighted as representing different directions?

The foreword highlights Rodin, Adolf von Hildebrand, Aristide Maillol, Georges Minne, Brancusi, Ernst Barlach, and Wilhelm Lehmbruck, each associated with a distinct approach to sculpture.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Ivy