River

Mediums: bronze.
Location: the Museum of Modern Art (the USA).

In Maillol’s sculptures, such a bold instability is a rarity. He did not imitate the dynamism of the life in the twentieth century and even declared that “there should be as little movement as possible in sculpture”. However, having received an order for a monument to the pacifist, outstanding writer A. Barbyus, he conceived a dynamic anti-war plot: a woman struck in the back falls. When his project was rejected, Aristide turned the idea into the world-famous “River”. Departing from the canons of stability usual for his art, the master depicted a low and uncertain figure lying on a pedestal. By twisting and turning the body, simulating raised arms as if resisting the pressure of a powerful stream, Maillol created the fluidity of a real river.