Constantin Brâncuși, born on February 19, 1876, and died on March 16, 1957, was a Romanian sculptor, painter and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th-century, and a pioneer of modernism, Brâncuși is called the patriarch of modern sculpture. As a child he displayed an aptitude for carving wooden farm tools. Formal studies took him first to Bucharest, then to Munich, then to the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris from 1905 to 1907. His art emphasizes clean geometrical lines that balance forms inherent in his materials with the symbolic allusions of representational art. Brâncuși sought inspiration in non-European cultures, as a source of primitive exoticism, as did Paul Gauguin, Pablo Picasso, André Derain and others.
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In 1920, he developed a notorious reputation with the entry of Princess X, in the Salon. The phallic appearance of this large, gleaming bronze piece scandalized the Salon and, despite Brâncuși's explanation that it was simply meant to represent the essence of womanhood, removed it from the exhibition. Princess X was revealed to be Princess Marie Bonaparte, direct descendant of the younger brother of Napoleon Bonaparte. The sculpture has been interpreted by some as symbolizing her obsession with the penis and her lifelong quest to achieve vaginal orgasm, with the help of Sigmund Freud.
7 сен 2024
