Pomone drapée 1921

Here we have Pomone drapée, made by Aristide Maillol. Look at the way he uses the bronze, this feels like such a direct and thoughtful process. The statue has a kind of muted, aged, green colour, which is earthy and gives a feeling of something old and precious. I find myself drawn to her drapery. It’s not trying to be super realistic; it’s more about the feeling of fabric. There's these vertical lines running down her body, almost like the bronze itself is a kind of flowing material. Maillol really makes you think about weight and volume. This brings to mind the work of Henry Moore, there is a similar emphasis on simple, rounded forms. But with Maillol, it feels a bit more grounded, like he's celebrating the everyday beauty of the human form.