Torse de Dina

Without arms or complete legs, this nude evokes a rediscovered antique sculpture. But the perfectly smooth bronze surface reveals that this is in fact a more modern creation. Her head tilted downward, the figure holds a pensive gaze. The closely observed hairstyle and relatively detailed facial features indicate the artist's desire to capture a particular individual. The viewer is also encouraged to consider the body's elegant lines and robust volumes. Dina Vierny was Aristide Maillol's longtime model, confidant, and collaborator. She began sitting for the sculptor around 1934 and did so until the artist's death in 1944. Most of his sculpture and drawings executed during this period take Vierny as their subject. This sculpture is believed to be one of very few works Maillol executed from life. He rarely sculpted from a live model, instead carving his plasters from sketches based on long sessions with his subject.