Tres Gracas 1930

This sculpture, Tres Gracas, which means the Three Graces, was created by Victor Brecheret. Looking at these figures, I can see a process of gradual construction, the chipping away at stone with intent. The surface is relatively smooth, as if he wanted to soften the stone. The women embrace, forming a cohesive, almost singular shape. I imagine Brecheret working on this piece, feeling the weight of the stone, the resistance, the dust. I imagine him stepping back, squinting, adjusting his vision, shifting the form. The way they coalesce seems as if he is trying to suggest these figures are all facets of the same woman. It reminds me of Rodin, of course, but there's something else here, a touch of something pre-Columbian. Sculptors, like painters, are in constant conversation across time, inspiring and responding to one another. Ultimately, sculpture, like painting, is a form of expression that allows for multiple readings. It embraces ambiguity, suggesting a variety of interpretations rather than fixed meanings.