Isoult 1926

Edward McCartan made "Isoult," this bronze sculpture, at an unknown date. I can imagine McCartan in his studio, wrestling with the wax or clay, coaxing these forms into being. There’s something so intimate about the gesture of the woman’s hand, almost touching the deer’s snout – you can feel the tenderness. The bronze has a cool, smooth surface, inviting touch, but also a sense of weight, of permanence. It’s interesting how he's placed the deer, looking up at Isoult, creating this dynamic relationship between them, a silent dialogue of understanding. It reminds me of other sculptures I’ve seen, Rodin’s work perhaps, where the figures seem caught in a moment of introspection or connection. Artists are always in conversation with each other, aren’t they, across time and space, borrowing, riffing, and responding to what’s come before.