20th Century Maternity Sculpture Patinated Bronze and Green Marble

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20th Century Maternity Sculpture Patinated Bronze and Green Marble

About the Item

A. Merente (Naples, 19th-20th century) Maternity Patinated bronze and green marble, h. 61 cm, without base 43 cm. Signature engraved on the back A. Merente. The tender outpouring of affection between mother and child, beautifully rendered in the present bronze, takes advantage of the aforementioned material for the brief and ductile smoothness of fusion and the reflective potential of the surface. The terse restitution of the face of the young woman and the child offers a sincere moment of maternal love with palpable freshness. The happy expression on the face of the couple is representative of this bond, intuitively rendered by the artist through the intelligent embrace of the child around the mother's neck. This is also an expedient to give effective proof of artistic skill, opposing the very real elbow of the child, of soft workmanship, to the fabrics that make up the clothes of the two. To the dotted description of the mother's summer shirt, with geometrically arranged plots, The consideration, here all-encompassing, of affective sentiment allows us to place the artist of the present, Merente, in the artistic current of realism. Merente, active in Naples between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, adhered with formal participation to the work of his fellow countrymen Vincenzo Gemito (1852-1929) first and Achille d'Orsi (1845-1929) then, but diluting their social impact, overcoming it critically. At the start of the second half of the nineteenth century, a particular propensity for the realist denunciation of social intent had manifested itself in the artistic world. In Naples it was Michele Cammarano (1835-1920) with paintings such as Ozio and work (Galleria Nazionale di Capodimonte in Naples) who initiated the reflection within the socialist instances of the most marked realist anthology. Merente here recovers the more blatantly spontaneous and everyday character coined by Gemito, as found in the terracotta works of the fellow countryman: Scugnizzo, Lo study dal vero - Moretto and Fiociniere (located in the Gallerie d'Italia of Palazzo Zevallos Stigliano in Naples). Merente turned his attention mainly to the naturalist instances, embracing the faithful restitution of the real data not with a contestative intent but to orchestrate a silent praise of popular life, of immediate beauty and profoundly unparalleled authenticity.

Dimensions:
Height: 24.02 in (61 cm)Diameter: 11.82 in (30 cm)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze,Marble,Forged,Polished
Place of Origin:
Italy
Period:
20th Century
Date of Manufacture:
20th Century
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Milan, IT
Reference Number:
1stDibs: LU5918226507052