Live Marble
The series of collages based on sculptures from Parisian museums. Each work is assembled from two photos: one being shot in a museum and the other - in a studio. These works would never have been born without the efforts and patience of the models participated in the project. I bow low to all of them.
Can the combination of sculptures and their living “reflections” become more than just the sum of the two components?
How could models of ancient sculptors look like?
Is a dialogue between people and statues possible?
Does the contrast of a cold stone and a living body create a new sense of beauty?
It's up to you to decide if I found the answers to these questions
Marble II
After "Sleeping Hermaphroditos". Roman copy of a Greek original of the 2nd century BC. Louvre, Paris
Model: Ivin
Hermaphroditos, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, had rejected the advances of the nymph Salmacis. Unable to resign herself to this rejection, Salmacis persuaded Zeus to merge their two bodies forever, hence the strange union producing one bisexual being with male organs and the voluptuous curves of a woman.
Marble I
After "Nymph with a Scorpion" by Lorenzo Bartolini, 1845. Louvre, Paris
Model: Ivin
The statue was exhibited in marble at the Paris Salon of 1845 to great acclaim. With his Nymph, Bartolini imbues his restrained classicism with a naturalism seen particularly in the girl's slight grimace and contorted pose, provoked by the scorpion's sting.
Two prime versions of the sculpture are in the Louvre and in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. The latter was commissioned by Russian Tsar Nicholas I, who visited Bartolini's studio in 1845.
Marble III
After "Baigneuse" by Joseph Charles Marin, 1805. Louvre, Paris
Model: Karen
This sculpture belongs to the first period of the sculptor's work, when his statues were light and graceful. Later, Marin joined the neoclassical movement and although he created several works that received public approval, he did not have much success and died in poverty.
Marble IV
After "Psyche" by Jean-Jacques Pradier, 1824. Louvre, Paris
Model: Karen
In Greek mythology, Psyche is the personification of the soul and breath. She often is represented as a butterfly or a girl holding a butterfly, the symbol of her tormented soul. There is the myth about Eros (Cupid) and Psyche, according to which the earthly girl Psyche receives immortality from Zeus for her love and faithfulness to Eros.
The sculpture was carved from an ancient Greek column from Paros, which explains its specific sparkle.
Marble V
After "Diana with a Stag" attributed to Jean Goujon, near 1550. Louvre, Paris
Model: Karen
Diana belongs to a host of twelve Olympic gods. The huntress is a virgin, she lives among wildlife and animals. With her arrows, the goddess brings both natural death and punishes for the lack of piety. The goddess of the forests, she is correlated with nature in general, fertility and animals.
The sculpture is considered a portrait of the Duchess Diane de Poitiers, the favorite mistress of King Henry II of France. The statue crowned a fountain in front of the Duchess's castle in Anet.
Marble VI
After "Dirce" by Lorenzo Bartolini, 1834. Louvre, Paris
Model: Kira
The Theban Queen Dirce (Dirka) was a Bacchante - an admirer of the god Dionysus/Bacchus. During the festivities, Bacchantes carried daggers, thyres (conical rod of Bacchus) and snakes in their hands.
Marble VII
After "Secret" by Francois Jouffroy, 1839. Louvre, Paris
Model: Kira
The original name of this statue is "Premier secret confié à Vénus" - the first secret entrusted to Venus. A young girl shares with the goddess the secret of her love.
Marble VIII
After "Three Graces". Roman copy of a Hellenistic original, 2nd century AD. Louvre, Paris
Model: Alise
Graces, also known as Charites in Greek mythology, are goddesses of nature. They came to be generally considered as companions of Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of Love and Beauty. According to poetic and literary tradition, the Graces were three in number, and their names were Euphrosyne, Thalia, and Aglaia. Eternally young and lovely, they represented charm, beauty, and human creativity, and were depicted naked, originally holding attributes such as apples, roses, and sprigs of myrtle.
An alternative version of the collage:
Marble IX
After "Siesta" by Denis Foyatier, 1848. Louvre, Paris
Model: Ada
Sleep and dreams have always inspired artists around the world. This work brought the Legion of Honor to the sculptor, who came from a simple peasant family. Presented to the Louvre museum by the daughter of Denis Foyatier.
Marble X
After "Pygmalion and Galatea" by Etienne Maurice Falconet, 1763. Louvre, Paris
Model: Alise
The Cretan sculptor Pygmalion was so passionate about his work that he did not pay attention to women. Enraged by this, the goddess of love Aphrodite made him fall in love with the statue of the young girl Galatea, which he himself created, and doomed him to the torment of unrequited love. But Pygmalion's passion turned out to be so deep that Aphrodite took pity and breathed life into the statue. The revived Galatea became Pygmalion's wife.
Marble XI
After "The Nymph Echo" by Paul Lemoyne, 1821. Louvre, Paris
Model: Alise
The nymph Echo was punished by the wife of Zeus Hera for talkativeness, as she deliberately distracted Hera with conversations while Zeus cheated on his wife with other nymphs. Hera deprived Echo of the gift of independent speech: she could only repeat the last words spoken by others. This punishment proved fatal for Echo. Having fallen in love with the beautiful Narcissus, she could not admit it to him. Suffering from unrequited love, the nymph withered, and only a voice remained from her.
An alternative version of the collage:
Marble XII
After "La Toilette d'Atalante" by Jean-Jacques Pradier, 1850. Louvre, Paris
Model: Kira
In Greek mythology, Atalanta was a famous runner. She agreed to marry only the applicant whom she could not catch up. She killed those whom she caught up by throwing a spear in their back. Only Hippomenus could defeat her: Aphrodite gave him three golden apples, so that he would dropped them on the run and thereby distract Atalanta.
Marble XIII
After "Aurore" by Denys Puech, 1900. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Model: Liza
In mythology, Aurora (Eos among the Greeks) is the goddess of the morning dawn, bringing daylight to the gods and people. Every morning she rises from her home at the edge of the Oceanus and opens the gates of heaven to the sun. Poets, starting with Homer, described the beauty and splendor of the goddess, calling her rosy-fingered, because before sunrise the pink stripes appear in the sky, reminiscent of fingers.
Marble XIV
After "Woman Bitten by a Serpent" (another name "Dream of Love") by Auguste Clesinger, 1847. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Model: Elina
The statue of Clesinger, exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1847, caused a scandal: the public was struck by the unprecedented eroticism of the statue, which was also made using a plaster cast of the body of the courtesan Apollonia Sabatier. The sculpture was originally called the “Dream of Love”, but the noise around it was so strong that Clesinger had to add a bronze snake to the marble figure and change the name of the work. Over time, the bronze snake was diappeared, but the new name remains. A year later, Clesinger created another similar statue, which he called "Bacchante." This name seems to me the most appropriate, so I used the shape of a wine amphora in the composition.
An alternative version of the collage:
Marble XV
After "Amur and Psyche" by Antonio Canova, 1787. Louvre, Paris.
Model: Alise
According to the legend, curious Psyche opened a forbidden box given to her by Venus and fell into a deep sleep of death. Only the kiss of her beloved Cupid (Amur) could wake her up...
Marble XVI
After "Andromeda" by Auguste Rodin, 1886. Rodin Museum, Paris
Model: Vera Lavender
In Greek mythology, Andromeda is the daughter of the king Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia. When Cassiopeia boasts that Andromeda is more beautiful than sea nymphs Nereids, Poseidon sends the sea monster to ravage the kingdom as divine punishment. Andromeda was chained naked to a rock as a sacrifice to sate the monster. Perseus killed the sea monster and set Andromeda free, and then married her.
Marble XVII
After "Satyr and Bacchante" by Jean-Jacque Pradier, 1834. Louvre, Paris
Model: Vera Lavender
The sculpture of Pradier aroused indignation among the audience of the Paris Salon of 1834. Contemporaries noted that the characters are similar to the sculptor himself and his former mistress, actress and courtesan Juliette Drouet. The government refused to purchase the work of Pradier, and then it was bought by Count Anatoly Demidov, with whom Juliet lived at that time. After the death of Demidov in 1870, the sculpture replaced several private collections until it was acquired by the Louvre in 1980.
Marble XVIII
After "Three Graces", by Jean-Jacques Pradier, 1831. Louvre, Paris
Model: Vera Lavender (all characters)
In this work I wanted to show an imaginary dialogue of three beautiful Graces with other "Three Graces".
An alternative version of the collage:
Marble XIX
After "Modesty" by Jean-Louis Jaley, 1833. Louvre, Paris
Model: Camilla
The statue was created by a 29-year-old sculptor as an examination work during his studies in Italy. Its theme is the story of bathing of Venus, popular in antiquity. The softness of features and elongated proportions is one of the characteristic features of Jaley's works. The sculpture was acquired by the Royal house at the Salon of 1834.
Marble XX
After "The Truth" by Jules Dalou, 1900. Petit Palais, Paris
Model: Camilla
One of two figures (The Truth and The Justice) created by the sculptor for the monument to Auguste Scherer-Kestner. The latter played a prominent role in clarifying the truth about the so-called "Dreyfus affair", which for a long time disturbed the whole France.
Marble XXI
After "Bacchante" by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, 1863. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Model: Darina (dianna_dia79)
The images of Dionysus-Bacchus and the accompanying Bacchantes were very popular in the art of the 19th century. The cheerful sculpture of Carrier-Belleuse, presented in the Paris Salon of 1863, was purchased by Emperor Napoleon III for his personal collection. From 1872 to 1984 it was exposed in the Tuileries Garden, from where it was later transferred to the opening Musee d'Orsay.
Marble XXII
After "La jeune Tarentine" by Alexandre Schoenewerk. 1871. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Model: Darina
The statue was created after the poem by Andre Chenier. It tells a story of a young girl, carried away by the sea waves from a boat on the eve of her wedding:
"...Elle est au sein des flots, la jeune Tarentine!
Son beau corps a roulé sous la vague marine.
Thétis, les yeux en pleurs, dans le creux d’un rocher,
Aux monstres dévorants eut soin de le cacher.
Par ses ordres bientôt les belles Néréides
L’élèvent au-dessus des demeures humides,
Le portent au rivage, et dans ce monument
L’ont au cap du Zéphyr déposé mollement;
Puis de loin, à grands cris appelant leurs compagnes,
Et les nymphes des bois, des sources, des montagnes,
Toutes, frappant leur sein et traînant un long deuil,
Répétèrent, hélas! autour de son cercueil:
"Hélas! chez ton amant tu n’es point ramenée;
Tu n’as point revêtu ta robe d’hyménée;
L’or autour de tes bras n’a point serré de nœuds;
Les doux parfums n’ont point coulé sur tes cheveux"
An alternative version of the collage:
Marble XXIII
After "La Nymph Salmacis" by François Joseph Bosio, 1826. Musee National de Monaco
Model: Camilla
According to a legend told by Ovid, the nymph Salmakis most valued her peace. Her favorite pastimes were swimming in the spring, combing her hair, tidying her head with flowers, and looking in a mirror of water. Once she saw at her source a young man named Hermaphrodite (the son of Hermes and Aphrodite) and fell in love with him, but he rejected her. Salmakis begged the gods to connect her with her lover, after which Hermaphrodite became a bisexual creature:
"Grant this, you gods, that no day comes to part me from him, or him from me!" Her prayer reached the gods. Now the entwined bodies of the two were joined together, and one form covered both.
Ovid. Metamorphoses, book 4. 372-374
Marble XXIV
After "Nymph with a Scorpion" by Lorenzo Bartolini, 1846-51. Hermitage, Saint-Petersburg
Model: Darina
"Nymph with a Scorpion" was commissioned by prince Charles de Beauvau, who wanted to create a gallery of sculptures in his castle. Bartolini completed the work in 1844, and in 1845 it has a great success at the Paris Salon. The Russian emperor Nicholas I was very impressed by the "Nymph" and ordered the sculptor a copy for the Hermitage museum. Bartolini himself began the work, but did not finish it - he died in January 1850. The statue was completed a year later by Giovanni Dupre, one of the master’s best students.
Marble XXV
After "Eve" by Jules Dalou, 1866. Petit Palais, Paris.
Model: Camilla
This statue is one of the first major works of Jules Dalu as an independent sculptor. Two influences are still felt in it: on the one hand, the teacher Dalu Jean-Baptiste Carpo, creator of the famous "Dance" in front of the Paris Opera, and on the other hand, classical antique statues. Eve's lowered and smiling face seems to be a tribute to the famous smile of Carpo's sculptures, and the girl’s semi-seated pose clearly echoes the antique motif of the bathing Venus, the so-called Crouching Venus. And only a small snake curled up on a pedestal helps to recognize Eve.
Marble XXVI
After "La danceuse Sacha Lyo", by Serge Yourievitch, 1933. Petit Palais, Paris
Model: VikTory
Prince Serge Yourievitch was a French sculptor of noble Russian birth, a statesman, writer, and one-time chamberlain to Emperor Nicholas II of Russia. In newspapers he was called "Gentleman Farmer in Russia, Scientist in France, Diplomat in Russian Imperial Foreign Service, Painter, Etcher and Sculptor." Two of his famous sculptures present Russian dancers, Natasha Nattova and her sister Sacha Lyo.
Marble XXVII
After "The Poet and the Muse" by Auguste Rodin, 1905. Hermitage, Saint-Petersburg
Model: Darina
The image of the Muse in this sculpture is a repetition of Rodin's favorite motifs, best known as the "Toilet of Venus". But the figure of the poet next to Venus-Muse is available only in the Hermitage sculpture, making it unique in the work of the master. It was probably added to the composition at the request of the Russian financier and philanthropist Stepan Eliseev, who commissioned Roden to perform several works in 1905. Subsequently, these works became the core of the Rodin collection in the Hermitage museum.
Marble XXVIII
After the “Nymph” by Edmond Leveque, 1866. Jardin de Tuileries, Paris.
Model: Karen
Marble XXIX
After "La muse d'Andre Chenier" by Denis Puech, 1888. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Model: Darina
According to legend, when the knife of the guillotine cut off the head of the rebellious André Chénier, a female figure appeared on the scaffold. She curled up her long hair and laid the severed head in it as in a cradle. Kissing Andre on the forehead, she whispered, "Sleep well, the poet, your muse will keep your memory". In 1887, the sculptor Denis Puech decided to perpetuate the memory of André Chénier, who over time came to be considered one of the great French poets of the late 18th century. The legend became the basis for his statue, presented to the Parisian public at the Salon in 1888.
Marble XXX
After "Pan" by Heliodorus of Rhodes, 2nd BC (Roman copy of a Greek original). Louvre, Paris
Model: Chloe
Once this statue was a pair, but the figure of the shepherd Daphnis, whom Pan taught to play the pipe, has been lost. Daphnis and Chloe are the heroes of the ancient Greek pastoral, whom Pan and the Nymphs helped to find their happiness.
Awards at photo-competitions:
- 2-е place at AdMe Photo Award 2014 ("Secret")
- Silver award at Paris Photo Prize, 2015 (section of six works)
- Gold medal of the Trierenberg Super Circuit, 2019 (selection of ten works)
.
Can the combination of sculptures and their living “reflections” become more than just the sum of the two components?
How could models of ancient sculptors look like?
Is a dialogue between people and statues possible?
Does the contrast of a cold stone and a living body create a new sense of beauty?
It's up to you to decide if I found the answers to these questions
Marble II
After "Sleeping Hermaphroditos". Roman copy of a Greek original of the 2nd century BC. Louvre, Paris
Model: Ivin
Hermaphroditos, the son of Hermes and Aphrodite, had rejected the advances of the nymph Salmacis. Unable to resign herself to this rejection, Salmacis persuaded Zeus to merge their two bodies forever, hence the strange union producing one bisexual being with male organs and the voluptuous curves of a woman.
Marble I
After "Nymph with a Scorpion" by Lorenzo Bartolini, 1845. Louvre, Paris
Model: Ivin
The statue was exhibited in marble at the Paris Salon of 1845 to great acclaim. With his Nymph, Bartolini imbues his restrained classicism with a naturalism seen particularly in the girl's slight grimace and contorted pose, provoked by the scorpion's sting.
Two prime versions of the sculpture are in the Louvre and in the Hermitage Museum, Saint Petersburg. The latter was commissioned by Russian Tsar Nicholas I, who visited Bartolini's studio in 1845.
Marble III
After "Baigneuse" by Joseph Charles Marin, 1805. Louvre, Paris
Model: Karen
This sculpture belongs to the first period of the sculptor's work, when his statues were light and graceful. Later, Marin joined the neoclassical movement and although he created several works that received public approval, he did not have much success and died in poverty.
Marble IV
After "Psyche" by Jean-Jacques Pradier, 1824. Louvre, Paris
Model: Karen
In Greek mythology, Psyche is the personification of the soul and breath. She often is represented as a butterfly or a girl holding a butterfly, the symbol of her tormented soul. There is the myth about Eros (Cupid) and Psyche, according to which the earthly girl Psyche receives immortality from Zeus for her love and faithfulness to Eros.
The sculpture was carved from an ancient Greek column from Paros, which explains its specific sparkle.
Marble V
After "Diana with a Stag" attributed to Jean Goujon, near 1550. Louvre, Paris
Model: Karen
Diana belongs to a host of twelve Olympic gods. The huntress is a virgin, she lives among wildlife and animals. With her arrows, the goddess brings both natural death and punishes for the lack of piety. The goddess of the forests, she is correlated with nature in general, fertility and animals.
The sculpture is considered a portrait of the Duchess Diane de Poitiers, the favorite mistress of King Henry II of France. The statue crowned a fountain in front of the Duchess's castle in Anet.
Marble VI
After "Dirce" by Lorenzo Bartolini, 1834. Louvre, Paris
Model: Kira
The Theban Queen Dirce (Dirka) was a Bacchante - an admirer of the god Dionysus/Bacchus. During the festivities, Bacchantes carried daggers, thyres (conical rod of Bacchus) and snakes in their hands.
Marble VII
After "Secret" by Francois Jouffroy, 1839. Louvre, Paris
Model: Kira
The original name of this statue is "Premier secret confié à Vénus" - the first secret entrusted to Venus. A young girl shares with the goddess the secret of her love.
Marble VIII
After "Three Graces". Roman copy of a Hellenistic original, 2nd century AD. Louvre, Paris
Model: Alise
Graces, also known as Charites in Greek mythology, are goddesses of nature. They came to be generally considered as companions of Aphrodite (Venus), the goddess of Love and Beauty. According to poetic and literary tradition, the Graces were three in number, and their names were Euphrosyne, Thalia, and Aglaia. Eternally young and lovely, they represented charm, beauty, and human creativity, and were depicted naked, originally holding attributes such as apples, roses, and sprigs of myrtle.
An alternative version of the collage:
Marble IX
After "Siesta" by Denis Foyatier, 1848. Louvre, Paris
Model: Ada
Sleep and dreams have always inspired artists around the world. This work brought the Legion of Honor to the sculptor, who came from a simple peasant family. Presented to the Louvre museum by the daughter of Denis Foyatier.
Marble X
After "Pygmalion and Galatea" by Etienne Maurice Falconet, 1763. Louvre, Paris
Model: Alise
The Cretan sculptor Pygmalion was so passionate about his work that he did not pay attention to women. Enraged by this, the goddess of love Aphrodite made him fall in love with the statue of the young girl Galatea, which he himself created, and doomed him to the torment of unrequited love. But Pygmalion's passion turned out to be so deep that Aphrodite took pity and breathed life into the statue. The revived Galatea became Pygmalion's wife.
Marble XI
After "The Nymph Echo" by Paul Lemoyne, 1821. Louvre, Paris
Model: Alise
The nymph Echo was punished by the wife of Zeus Hera for talkativeness, as she deliberately distracted Hera with conversations while Zeus cheated on his wife with other nymphs. Hera deprived Echo of the gift of independent speech: she could only repeat the last words spoken by others. This punishment proved fatal for Echo. Having fallen in love with the beautiful Narcissus, she could not admit it to him. Suffering from unrequited love, the nymph withered, and only a voice remained from her.
An alternative version of the collage:
Marble XII
After "La Toilette d'Atalante" by Jean-Jacques Pradier, 1850. Louvre, Paris
Model: Kira
In Greek mythology, Atalanta was a famous runner. She agreed to marry only the applicant whom she could not catch up. She killed those whom she caught up by throwing a spear in their back. Only Hippomenus could defeat her: Aphrodite gave him three golden apples, so that he would dropped them on the run and thereby distract Atalanta.
Marble XIII
After "Aurore" by Denys Puech, 1900. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Model: Liza
In mythology, Aurora (Eos among the Greeks) is the goddess of the morning dawn, bringing daylight to the gods and people. Every morning she rises from her home at the edge of the Oceanus and opens the gates of heaven to the sun. Poets, starting with Homer, described the beauty and splendor of the goddess, calling her rosy-fingered, because before sunrise the pink stripes appear in the sky, reminiscent of fingers.
Marble XIV
After "Woman Bitten by a Serpent" (another name "Dream of Love") by Auguste Clesinger, 1847. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Model: Elina
The statue of Clesinger, exhibited in the Paris Salon of 1847, caused a scandal: the public was struck by the unprecedented eroticism of the statue, which was also made using a plaster cast of the body of the courtesan Apollonia Sabatier. The sculpture was originally called the “Dream of Love”, but the noise around it was so strong that Clesinger had to add a bronze snake to the marble figure and change the name of the work. Over time, the bronze snake was diappeared, but the new name remains. A year later, Clesinger created another similar statue, which he called "Bacchante." This name seems to me the most appropriate, so I used the shape of a wine amphora in the composition.
An alternative version of the collage:
Marble XV
After "Amur and Psyche" by Antonio Canova, 1787. Louvre, Paris.
Model: Alise
According to the legend, curious Psyche opened a forbidden box given to her by Venus and fell into a deep sleep of death. Only the kiss of her beloved Cupid (Amur) could wake her up...
Marble XVI
After "Andromeda" by Auguste Rodin, 1886. Rodin Museum, Paris
Model: Vera Lavender
In Greek mythology, Andromeda is the daughter of the king Cepheus and his wife Cassiopeia. When Cassiopeia boasts that Andromeda is more beautiful than sea nymphs Nereids, Poseidon sends the sea monster to ravage the kingdom as divine punishment. Andromeda was chained naked to a rock as a sacrifice to sate the monster. Perseus killed the sea monster and set Andromeda free, and then married her.
Marble XVII
After "Satyr and Bacchante" by Jean-Jacque Pradier, 1834. Louvre, Paris
Model: Vera Lavender
The sculpture of Pradier aroused indignation among the audience of the Paris Salon of 1834. Contemporaries noted that the characters are similar to the sculptor himself and his former mistress, actress and courtesan Juliette Drouet. The government refused to purchase the work of Pradier, and then it was bought by Count Anatoly Demidov, with whom Juliet lived at that time. After the death of Demidov in 1870, the sculpture replaced several private collections until it was acquired by the Louvre in 1980.
Marble XVIII
After "Three Graces", by Jean-Jacques Pradier, 1831. Louvre, Paris
Model: Vera Lavender (all characters)
In this work I wanted to show an imaginary dialogue of three beautiful Graces with other "Three Graces".
An alternative version of the collage:
Marble XIX
After "Modesty" by Jean-Louis Jaley, 1833. Louvre, Paris
Model: Camilla
The statue was created by a 29-year-old sculptor as an examination work during his studies in Italy. Its theme is the story of bathing of Venus, popular in antiquity. The softness of features and elongated proportions is one of the characteristic features of Jaley's works. The sculpture was acquired by the Royal house at the Salon of 1834.
Marble XX
After "The Truth" by Jules Dalou, 1900. Petit Palais, Paris
Model: Camilla
One of two figures (The Truth and The Justice) created by the sculptor for the monument to Auguste Scherer-Kestner. The latter played a prominent role in clarifying the truth about the so-called "Dreyfus affair", which for a long time disturbed the whole France.
Marble XXI
After "Bacchante" by Albert-Ernest Carrier-Belleuse, 1863. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Model: Darina (dianna_dia79)
The images of Dionysus-Bacchus and the accompanying Bacchantes were very popular in the art of the 19th century. The cheerful sculpture of Carrier-Belleuse, presented in the Paris Salon of 1863, was purchased by Emperor Napoleon III for his personal collection. From 1872 to 1984 it was exposed in the Tuileries Garden, from where it was later transferred to the opening Musee d'Orsay.
Marble XXII
After "La jeune Tarentine" by Alexandre Schoenewerk. 1871. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Model: Darina
The statue was created after the poem by Andre Chenier. It tells a story of a young girl, carried away by the sea waves from a boat on the eve of her wedding:
"...Elle est au sein des flots, la jeune Tarentine!
Son beau corps a roulé sous la vague marine.
Thétis, les yeux en pleurs, dans le creux d’un rocher,
Aux monstres dévorants eut soin de le cacher.
Par ses ordres bientôt les belles Néréides
L’élèvent au-dessus des demeures humides,
Le portent au rivage, et dans ce monument
L’ont au cap du Zéphyr déposé mollement;
Puis de loin, à grands cris appelant leurs compagnes,
Et les nymphes des bois, des sources, des montagnes,
Toutes, frappant leur sein et traînant un long deuil,
Répétèrent, hélas! autour de son cercueil:
"Hélas! chez ton amant tu n’es point ramenée;
Tu n’as point revêtu ta robe d’hyménée;
L’or autour de tes bras n’a point serré de nœuds;
Les doux parfums n’ont point coulé sur tes cheveux"
An alternative version of the collage:
Marble XXIII
After "La Nymph Salmacis" by François Joseph Bosio, 1826. Musee National de Monaco
Model: Camilla
According to a legend told by Ovid, the nymph Salmakis most valued her peace. Her favorite pastimes were swimming in the spring, combing her hair, tidying her head with flowers, and looking in a mirror of water. Once she saw at her source a young man named Hermaphrodite (the son of Hermes and Aphrodite) and fell in love with him, but he rejected her. Salmakis begged the gods to connect her with her lover, after which Hermaphrodite became a bisexual creature:
"Grant this, you gods, that no day comes to part me from him, or him from me!" Her prayer reached the gods. Now the entwined bodies of the two were joined together, and one form covered both.
Ovid. Metamorphoses, book 4. 372-374
Marble XXIV
After "Nymph with a Scorpion" by Lorenzo Bartolini, 1846-51. Hermitage, Saint-Petersburg
Model: Darina
"Nymph with a Scorpion" was commissioned by prince Charles de Beauvau, who wanted to create a gallery of sculptures in his castle. Bartolini completed the work in 1844, and in 1845 it has a great success at the Paris Salon. The Russian emperor Nicholas I was very impressed by the "Nymph" and ordered the sculptor a copy for the Hermitage museum. Bartolini himself began the work, but did not finish it - he died in January 1850. The statue was completed a year later by Giovanni Dupre, one of the master’s best students.
Marble XXV
After "Eve" by Jules Dalou, 1866. Petit Palais, Paris.
Model: Camilla
This statue is one of the first major works of Jules Dalu as an independent sculptor. Two influences are still felt in it: on the one hand, the teacher Dalu Jean-Baptiste Carpo, creator of the famous "Dance" in front of the Paris Opera, and on the other hand, classical antique statues. Eve's lowered and smiling face seems to be a tribute to the famous smile of Carpo's sculptures, and the girl’s semi-seated pose clearly echoes the antique motif of the bathing Venus, the so-called Crouching Venus. And only a small snake curled up on a pedestal helps to recognize Eve.
Marble XXVI
After "La danceuse Sacha Lyo", by Serge Yourievitch, 1933. Petit Palais, Paris
Model: VikTory
Prince Serge Yourievitch was a French sculptor of noble Russian birth, a statesman, writer, and one-time chamberlain to Emperor Nicholas II of Russia. In newspapers he was called "Gentleman Farmer in Russia, Scientist in France, Diplomat in Russian Imperial Foreign Service, Painter, Etcher and Sculptor." Two of his famous sculptures present Russian dancers, Natasha Nattova and her sister Sacha Lyo.
Marble XXVII
After "The Poet and the Muse" by Auguste Rodin, 1905. Hermitage, Saint-Petersburg
Model: Darina
The image of the Muse in this sculpture is a repetition of Rodin's favorite motifs, best known as the "Toilet of Venus". But the figure of the poet next to Venus-Muse is available only in the Hermitage sculpture, making it unique in the work of the master. It was probably added to the composition at the request of the Russian financier and philanthropist Stepan Eliseev, who commissioned Roden to perform several works in 1905. Subsequently, these works became the core of the Rodin collection in the Hermitage museum.
Marble XXVIII
After the “Nymph” by Edmond Leveque, 1866. Jardin de Tuileries, Paris.
Model: Karen
Marble XXIX
After "La muse d'Andre Chenier" by Denis Puech, 1888. Musee d'Orsay, Paris
Model: Darina
According to legend, when the knife of the guillotine cut off the head of the rebellious André Chénier, a female figure appeared on the scaffold. She curled up her long hair and laid the severed head in it as in a cradle. Kissing Andre on the forehead, she whispered, "Sleep well, the poet, your muse will keep your memory". In 1887, the sculptor Denis Puech decided to perpetuate the memory of André Chénier, who over time came to be considered one of the great French poets of the late 18th century. The legend became the basis for his statue, presented to the Parisian public at the Salon in 1888.
Marble XXX
After "Pan" by Heliodorus of Rhodes, 2nd BC (Roman copy of a Greek original). Louvre, Paris
Model: Chloe
Once this statue was a pair, but the figure of the shepherd Daphnis, whom Pan taught to play the pipe, has been lost. Daphnis and Chloe are the heroes of the ancient Greek pastoral, whom Pan and the Nymphs helped to find their happiness.
Awards at photo-competitions:
- 2-е place at AdMe Photo Award 2014 ("Secret")
- Silver award at Paris Photo Prize, 2015 (section of six works)
- Gold medal of the Trierenberg Super Circuit, 2019 (selection of ten works)
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