mlle pogany
Yale University, Connecticut
Sculpture's History
Constantin Brancusi was the genius behind this piece. He met the Hungarian painter Margit Pogany in Paris in 1910. She asked Brancusi to create her portrait after visiting his studio. He carved her in marble from memory. That was the original sculpture. From there he made a bronze cast in 1913. That fall he wrote to Pogany, and asked which she would prefer. When she received the bronze sculpture, but was asked not to touch it. Brancusi was moved by her eyes. As you can see in the piece they are overly sized. He recreated this portrait more than once, some more abstract than the others.
Artist's Background
Brancusi was born in a small town in Roman around 1876. Growing up he struggled to connect with his family, causing him to move out at a young age. When he was eleven years old he permanently left. Before he became well known, Constantin worked as a carpenter, waiter, and even fortune teller. In 1898 he graduated with honors from the Bucharests's National School of Fine Arts. From there he traveled by foot to Paris. This became why people were so intrigued with him and his work. He started to follow his own style around 1907, with his signature piece 'The Kiss'. In 1913 his work made its way to the United States and was shown at the Armory Show in New York. Critics and many other people outside of the art world couldn't quite grasp his vision and looked at his art as abstract. When they looked at his pieces they were confused, yet some people couldnt get enough of him. He helped pave the way for many other artists and influenced modern sculpture. By using marble, wood, and bronze, Brancusi was able to pay close attention to details. The meanings behind his work might only be fully understood by himself, because many people are touched in different ways by the pieces. He tried to capture the true form of his subjects and tried to represent natural reality.