La Femmoiselle 1945

Jacques Hérold made this bronze sculpture, "La Femmoiselle." I can only imagine Hérold’s hands working, building, and shaping this being, a woman, a lady! There’s a delicate structure to her face, like a mask or a carefully pieced-together façade. What’s she hiding? Or is she revealing herself through this intricate design? Her shoulders? They’re like two separate… well, they’re rounded forms that look like they’re straining to be free. I can feel the pressure, the weight of expectation. Surrealists like Hérold, they were always playing with the subconscious, the hidden parts of ourselves. Maybe this femmoiselle is a puzzle, a riddle wrapped in bronze. She reminds me of Giacometti's sculptures, those stretched figures, reaching for something beyond. But Hérold’s got this grounded, earthy quality. It’s like he’s saying, "Yeah, we’re all a little broken, a little strange, but we’re here, solid, and real." And that’s something I can definitely relate to.