Woman Seen from the Back
1920
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
Artist
Aristide Maillol
Aristide Joseph Bonaventure Maillol was a French Catalan sculptor, painter, and printmaker.
See the richer artist page1920
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Woman Seen from the Back is a 1920 by Aristide Maillol, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
A woman stands turned away, her back and hips curved like a smooth hill. The lines are simple, almost like a sketch. Maillol wanted to show the body’s quiet strength, not just how it looks. He worked from memory, not models, so the shape feels more like an idea than a person. This drawing might have been practice for one of his sculptures. If you like this, look up *impasto*—a thick paint technique that builds texture, much like Maillol’s sculpted forms.
Maillol was interested in conveying the sensual curves of the female form. As a sculptor he worked from both memory and drawings. He made numerous studies of the nude which are related to, if not directly preparatory for his sculptures. He explained, "The important thing is the general idea...I am seeking beauty, not character."
Read the full account in the museum source.
Aristide Joseph Bonaventure Maillol was a French Catalan sculptor, painter, and printmaker.
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