Arturo Martini
Fanciulla in riposo, 1932-1933
refractory earth, 37,5 × 27 × 18 cm
The theme of the seated female figure observing the stars, who therefore looks up, was addressed several times by Martini in the early 1930s. His use of terracotta also ascribes to this decade, which allowed him to create some of the most significant examples of Italian sculpture of the time. Despite their small dimensions, the figures looking at the stars, their dreamy posture and the few elements that indicate the landscape stand out for the expressive effectiveness of their content, and also for a certain vein of theatricality, which is also found in contemporary works of different subject. The Fanciulla in riposo in the collection is part of this thematic series, and its state as a sketch in refractory earth, as well as the artist's skill in portraying her leaning against a tree trunk, places the the immediacy and communicative freshness of the great master.
from: Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro. La Collezione permanente, exhibition catalogue, edited by G. Verzotti, A. Vettese, Milano, Skira, 2007, p. 176.
