Sick Boy (Bambino malato) 1889

Medardo Rosso’s 1889 bronze sculpture, “Sick Boy (Bambino malato),” portrays a young boy's head, tilted and slumped, in a moment of vulnerability. The rough, textured surface of the bronze suggests the boy's frail state, emphasizing the contrast between his youthful form and the harshness of his condition. Rosso was known for his “sculptural realism,” a style that captured the fleeting and emotional aspects of human life, often focusing on the marginalized and vulnerable. This piece exemplifies that approach, portraying a sense of pathos and a raw, unsentimental truth.