74. The Crocodile [1949]

Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the twentieth century, Constantin Brâncuși made a significant contribution to the renewal of contemporary visual language and vision. Constantin Brâncuși abandoned the anatomical representation of the model in favor of a style that compliments the essence of the studied forms. Becoming a central figure on the Parisian art scene, Brâncuși dedicated himself to a creation, which aims to combine the archaic elements of the Romanian people and the avant-garde elements found in Paris. Thus, his work manages to capture the essence of the forms despite the hardness of the materials with which he sculpts. The artistic creed upon which Constantin Brâncuși's work is based, is represented by distancing from the veridical and verisimilar framework. The sculptor's works completely refuse to align with palpable reality. Constantin Brâncuși created a work based on radical simplification, preserving only the essence of the creative act. Influenced by the search for the spiritual structure of matter, the artist said, ”What is the use of working after the model? You only end up sculpting corpses.”, invoking in his words the categorical refusal of "photographing" the model in stone or bronze. The present work, "Le Crocodile", reinforces the artistic philosophy proposed by Brâncuși. The sculpture represents a crocodile cast in lead, in a succinct form that betrays the abstract, but not the basic inspirational concept. Lead has often been used in sculpture for its characteristics, such as malleability and its gray-silver appearance. It was often a symbol taken up in literature to accentuate the state of spleen and anguish, thus, lead was considered by symbolists like Bacovia and Baudelaire, a material that faithfully describes the experiences of the century. Also, lead is known for its high toxicity.

References

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Dimensions

width 14 cm, height 9 cm

Description

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Research information

The object participated in the exhibition organized for the Artcurial auction "Fonds Constantin Brancusi from the collection of Alexandre Istrati and Natalia Dumitresco", Marcel Dassault Palace, Paris, 27-30 November 2010 and is listed in the auction catalog at cat. 99, under the title "Crocodile" (Four forms). The object is reproduced in the monograph "Brancusi", Pontus Hulten; Natalia Dumitresco; Alexandre Istrati, Ed. Flammarion, Paris, 1986, at p. 320.

Dating

1949

PROVENANCE

The Brâncuși Fund from the Alexandru Istrati and Natalia Dumitrescu collection.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

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