Torso of a Young Man I 1917

Curator: This is Constantin Brâncuși's "Torso of a Young Man I," created in 1917. It’s cast in bronze. What's your immediate take on it? Editor: Well, it's surprisingly grounded. Considering the subject matter, and Brâncuși's inclination toward abstraction, it's also quite austere in its reduction of the body into such elementary forms. Curator: Austerity is an interesting lens. If we look at its production, we know that Brâncuși was highly involved in the casting process. It challenges the established conventions around what constitutes a “finished” artwork. Editor: Exactly. Its modernism pulls away from classical representations of the male form, and gestures towards a sort of deconstruction of masculinity, no? We might consider the rise of industrialization, or perhaps the socio-political climate of World War I, that encouraged such abstraction and alienation. Curator: And that's especially highlighted by the bronze. Bronze traditionally was seen as timeless, enduring—the ideal material to memorialize emperors. The modernity is juxtaposed against material associated with high-art. Brâncuși emphasizes not only the material's sheen, but also that it’s mass-produced, an emblem of the Machine Age. Editor: And consider its smoothness, the subtle rounding. It subverts notions of heroic, virile masculinity – instead, there is this sensuous curvature, almost effeminate. Its presence unsettles gender norms. Curator: Indeed. We should note, though, that its initial creation also sparked dialogue about artistic labor. The artwork was created for the elites, but done by a collaborative shop of highly-skilled labor in a moment of increased wealth concentration, class awareness, and industrial turmoil. Editor: Interesting to consider how notions of labor impacted and shaped it at the time! This almost makes me feel less certain. Thank you for expanding its reading for me, that consideration is everything here. Curator: Thank you, that consideration about identity and gender made a compelling view for this powerful sculpture.