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 n
the palette of the Arts sculpture is very important in Catalonia.
North Catalonian sculpture was first displayed by the Master
of Cabestany, an itinerant artist of the Roman period. At the
end of the 12th Century it was he who signed the frieze on the
portal of the church of El Voló, and also the tympan
conserved in a church in Cabestany – works made unique by their
stocky characters and sharp angles. In the following century
Jaume de Faveran sculpted the large Christ in the Cathedral
in Perpignan, his new Gothic style broke with the Roman rigidity.
Josep Sunyer distinguished himself at the turn of the 17th Century
and in the 18th Century by his grand Baroque altarpieces.
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| Maillol,
"The night" |
The
figure at the forefront of North Catalan sculpture is Aristide
Maillol (1861-1944). His work is intimately tied with the territory
of Banyuls and the town of Marenda shared between the sea and
the vineyard, Maillol was the master of the development of European
modern sculpture. In 1900 he offered his first great sculptures
to this region. With reference to the Greco-Roman traditions,
Maillol worked the female nude as a symbol of victory. These
pleasing women of his epoch, born of the Catalan people, transformed
themselves into imposing statues of a Classic appearance. Resolutely
innovative in reality, his genius resides in the strength placed
around the central axis. Refined and powerful, Maillol’s bronzes
reside in the museums of the world and live in the outdoors
in North Catalonia. ‘Venus’ and ‘Méditerranée’
are visible in the historic centre of Perpignan. At Port Vendres,
Ceret and Banyuls his monuments to the dead of World War I are
also on display outdoors. By this popular presence Maillol is
a true artist of the land. His aura does not overshadow the
talent of his contemporaries, Gustave Violet; witness of sorrow,
Henri Frère; Maillol’s student, or Marcel Gili; the artist
of internal struggles and a student of Violet. This line of
successful sculptors is followed by José Bonhomme; creator
of sensual bronzes that are smooth to the touch, Josep Castell;
loyal to the land, François Pous; producer of metallic
abstractions, or Emmanuel Bolzoms who works oriental and Judeo-Christian
myths in polyester resin. With an underlying continuity, North
Catalan sculpture is free from constraints and trends and always
seems appropriate and renewed.
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