- 140
Alfredo Pina Italian, 1883-1966
Description
- Alfredo Pina
- Tête de Gorgone (The head of Gorgon)
- signed and dated: A. Pina / 1925 and with the CIRE PERDUE / A. VALSUANI foundry stamp
- bronze, dark brown patina, on original shaped veined black marble base
Provenance
In the consignors family since the 1940's
Catalogue Note
This highly expressive bust, listed as The Head of Gorgon in de Pawlowski's 1929 biography, conveys Pina's deep admiration for the work of Auguste Rodin and Constantin Meunier. When Pina moved to Paris in circa 1909-10 he worked in Rodin's atelier and the experience influenced him profoundly.
By the time Pina treated the subject of the gorgon, he had already achieved recognition with his bust of Beethoven. And as with the earlier work, the emphasis is on the overall emotional intensity of the portrayal rather than in any specific details: the hair is intentionally left as a swirling mass with snake-heads darting outwards. But it is the sudden jerking of the gorgon's head, her piercing eyes and shrieking mouth, that capture the moment of coming face-to-face with her own image. We see her in the few seconds before she turns to stone.
RELATED LITERATURE
Panzetta p.217; Sapori pp.236, 466; Vicario p.825; Achelle, L'Art la Sculpture d'Alfred Pina, 1921