Edmund Gomanski, Isadora Duncan, German Jugendstil Bronze Sculpture, 1903

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Edmund Gomanski, Isadora Duncan, German Jugendstil Bronze Sculpture, 1903

About the Item

“We may not all break the Ten Commandments, but we are certainly all capable of it. Within us lurks the breaker of all laws, ready to spring out at the first real opportunity.” – Isadora Duncan We are proud to present here a beautiful German Jugendstil period patinated bronze sculpture of the world-famous American dancer, Angela Isadora Duncan (1877-1927) dancing in the nude, only a thin silk ribbon around her bare chest, in all likelihood, the dance of Salomé from the scandalous Oscar Wilde's play of the same name, violating an old law from the Puritan era that prohibited public portrayal of Biblical characters. Signed: E. Gomanski Foundry: Ake. Ges. Vonrif. H. Gludenberk, Berlin Edition: D6567 Wilde's play portrays Salomé as a bizarre and somewhat evil character who becomes obsessed with John the Baptist. In 1902 it was produced in Berlin, with great success. This remarkable sculpture was created by a celebrated German sculptor, Edmund Gomanski (1854-1930) under the influence of Isadora's performance in the premiere production of the play. Some more history. In 1903, Isadora Duncan gave a lecture in Berlin, titled "The Dance of the Future," which was published as a pamphlet and became the manifesto of Modern Dance and a feminist Classic: "The dancer of the future will be one whose body and soul have grown so harmoniously together that the natural language of that soul will have become the movement of the body. The dancer will not belong to a nation but to all humanity. She will dance not in the form of a nymph, nor fairy, nor coquette but in the form of a woman in its greatest and purest expression. She will realize the Mission of woman's body and the holiness of all its parts. She will dance the changing life of nature, showing how each part is transformed into the other. From all parts of her body shall shine radiant intelligence, bringing to the world the message of the thoughts and aspirations of thousands of women. She shall dance the freedom of women." To achieve her Mission, she opened schools to teach young women her dance philosophy. The first was established in 1904 in Grunewald, Germany. This institution was the birthplace of the "Isadorables" Anna, Maria-Theresa, Irma, Lisel, Gretel, Erika, Isabelle and Temple (Isadora's niece) Duncan’s protégées, who would go on to continue her legacy. Looking at Isadora, not even the wildest fantasist would have imagined she was a dancer. She was fairly stout, her build nothing like a ballerina’s. She could not dance en pointe. This was offset by a plasticity that appeared to have been modeled on the dancers of Ancient Greek bas reliefs. This likeness was not fortuitous. Isadora had thoroughly researched Greek and Italian dances. Her obsession with Greece reached absurd proportions. She would even go out and about in a tunic. Imagine Europe at the close of the 19th century. prim and proper ladies and top-hated gentlemen, bowing to one another at a distance of 50 yards. And there was Isadora disheveled, barefoot and dressed like a Grecian dancer. When she went to Greece like that, she was very nearly dragged off to the police station as she walked down the street in Athens. Isadora was not only invited to perform in theatres but at society functions too. She became famous for dancing naked. For her, this symbolized freedom from convention. Casting off her clothes, returning to her natural state. But few people grasped the concept and most were convinced they were simply watching a strip-tease. Interestingly, her best-known successor was the legendary spy, Mata Hari. She became a dancer essentially under the impression of Isadora’s dance performances. Naturally, she danced naked, as well. When she wasn’t engaged in espionage, she would mimic Malay and Indian dancing, but from today’s standpoint, it was stripping, pure and simple. It cannot be said that Isadora deliberately set out to shock. It was just that her emotions overwhelmed her. In the minds of the viewers of the day, the spiritual and physical were kept strictly apart. Art was art and sex was sex. In Isadora’s mind, however, they were inseparable. Isadora Duncan danced her last dance in Nice. She got into a car after the performance, her famous red scarf round her neck. She said to her companions, “Farewell, my friends, I go to glory!” The car set off, the scarf became caught in the spokes of the wheel and strangled her. If Isadora’s claim is to be believed, she began to dance in her mother’s womb and so her life was one long dance. She danced from beginning to end.

Creator:
Edmund Gomanski (Sculptor)
Dimensions:
Height: 24.75 in (62.87 cm)Width: 14 in (35.56 cm)Depth: 11 in (27.94 cm)
Style:
Jugendstil (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Bronze,Marble,Patinated
Place of Origin:
Germany
Period:
1900-1909
Date of Manufacture:
circa 1902
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use. We make our best effort to provide a fair and descriptive condition report. Please examine photos attentively, as they are part of the description. Send us a message to request more details or discuss price.
Seller Location:
New York, NY
Reference Number:
Seller: NH-11stDibs: LU281937876563