NARRATOR:
This sculpture is one of a series of nymphs the French sculptor Aristide Maillol executed in the 1930s, and it is the only one with three figures. Walk around this delightful group. It’s an outstanding example of Maillol’s classicism, aspiring to the poise and strength of ancient statuary.
In Greek mythology, nymphs were minor goddesses who inhabited areas of natural beauty, such as woods, mountains and rivers. They are usually depicted as beautiful young women. A model named Lucille Passavant posed for the central figure, while the other nymphs are based on his maid Marie. Maillol had originally planned to call this piece The Three Graces, after the refined, lyrical figures in the famous painting by Raphael. But he decided that the models he had chosen were too robust to do so.
Maillol usually began a sculpture by modeling the torso, then adding the limbs. Here, he carefully coordinated the placement of the hands to bind the figures into a rhythmic whole. A friend wrote:
GIROU [ACTOR]:
“When an arm does not correspond to his conception, when a leg isn’t turned the way he wants it to, he amputates it without hesitation. His studio is a veritable accident yard: legs, arms, heads, torsos lie scattered about.”
NARRATOR:
Although the outward appearance of Maillol’s subjects evolved over time, the essential female qualities he expressed remained the same. To hear an appreciation of Maillol’s women by the contemporary novelist Octave Mirabeau, press 3481.
Three Nymphes
1930-37
Aristide Maillol (French, 1861-1944)
On View
At age 75, Aristide Maillol produced Three Nymphes for exhibition at the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. For the first time in his career, and with evident ambition, the artist embraced the challenge of creating a sculpture with multiple figures. As with many of Maillol’s sculptures, the human bodies serve as allegories for the beauty of nature. Each woman represents a different flower—the daisy, buttercup and marjoram—and these blossoms crown their heads. The balanced composition reinforces the figures’ stoic grace, while their nudity, idealized proportions and contrapposto poses recall the traditions of Greek sculpture, particularly the myth of the Three Graces. In the period between world wars, Maillol was one of many artists who sought to reinterpret the formal qualities of classical antiquity in a movement known as le rappel à l’ordre (return to order).
Details
- Artist Name: Aristide Maillol (French, 1861-1944)
- Title: Three Nymphes
- Date: 1930-37
- Medium: Bronze
- Edition: Artist's Proof II
- Dimensions: 62 x 56 7/8 x 31 in. (157.5 x 144.5 x 78.7 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Art Foundation
- Accession Number: M.1980.07.S
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Art Foundation
Object Information
Reinstallation of South Wing
- Norton Simon Museum, 1993-10-07 to 1995-08-13
- Campbell, Sara, Collector Without Walls: Norton Simon and His Hunt for the Best, 2010, cat. 1649 p. 431
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