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| Like a bust, a torso only represents a part of the human body. Whereas the tradition of the bust goes back to antiquity, the history of the torso only begins with the destruction of sculptures at the end of antiquity. Since the Renaissance, the missing limbs of unearthed sculptures were reinvented by modern sculptors. It was not until the nineteenth century that sculptors created fragmentary figures as complete works.
Brancusi’s sculpture is a fresh interpretation of the modern torso. The title of his work insists that the work depicts a Torso of a Young Girl, although there is no anatomical evidence. The viewer is encouraged to look for other aspects of a young girl, such as those conveyed by the purity of the onyx and the form. Viewers may feel like repeating Pygmalion’s experience, when they attribute the warmth of a young body to that of this stone figure.
* All photographs from the Centre Georges Pompidou are Bequest of Constantin Brancusi in 1957 |
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