Tres Gracas 1930

Victor Brecheret’s ‘Tres Gracas’ presents the three graces, or three women, in a huddle, sculpted out of what looks to be sandstone. There is something very modern about the piece, a stripping away of detail in favour of bold, geometric shapes that remind me of the work of Modigliani. This is balanced against something more ancient and elemental, a reverence for the female form as a landscape, almost. It brings to mind the art of Ancient Greece or Egypt, where the materials are coarse, solid, and the carving has a naive simplicity. Look at the point where the three heads meet - can you make out the individual faces? I love how the artist has left this part of the sculpture ambiguous, allowing the viewer to fill in the gaps and find their own way of seeing. It reminds us that art is not just about what the artist creates, but about the conversation that happens between the artwork and the person experiencing it.