Bust of a Child before 1905

This bronze bust of a child was crafted by Aimé-Jules Dalou, and sits here in the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Just imagine Dalou working away at this, carefully molding the clay, coaxing out the kid's soft cheeks and furrowed brow. You know, bronze can be cold, but Dalou's really warmed it up. The texture almost feels like velvet. And that gaze, it’s like he's caught between being a baby and figuring out the world, and Dalou’s captured that fleeting moment. Dalou was no doubt looking at Renaissance masters for inspiration. There's a kind of serious sweetness here, reminiscent of Donatello. But Dalou also brings in his own flavour—a real feel for the kid's personality, like he knew him. And like all artists, he was building on the past, adding his own spin, and setting the stage for others to come.