Torso of Venus c. 1918 - 1928

Maillol shaped this bronze Venus, pressing and smoothing the clay, building up a sensuous, solid form. I imagine him circling around her, again and again, feeling the weight of the clay in his hands. It must have been a real dance of looking and touching. I like to imagine the studio space, filled with light, the air thick with the smell of earth and metal. What was he thinking about as he worked? Was he trying to capture an ideal of beauty, or something more human, something more real? There’s this amazing hip jut. It speaks to me of resilience and strength but also softness and vulnerability. I’m reminded of other artists like Renoir and Degas, who were also looking at the body in new ways, finding new ways to celebrate its complexity and its flaws. Sculptors like Maillol keep the conversation going, reminding us that beauty is not some fixed thing, but something we create, something we feel, something we share.