Day and Night or Adolescence (Le Jour et la Nuit ou Adolescence)

myminifactory

This is a marble bust sculpture showcasing an idle man, his eyes turned upwards towards the sky. An unclear figure stands beside him, resting a hand on his shoulder. The day shines brightly while the night remains dark. Just as the sun and moon are united, so too would light and darkness be. In the early years of the twentieth century, Bourdelle finds in the Marquis Henri du Bideran a model "as lovely as the day." The artist decides to capture this radiant beauty within marble. The young man bends his head backwards, appearing consumed by some profound thought inspired by Saturn. La Nuit, draped over his shoulder, serves as a poignant reminder of the fate that awaits him. Magma whispers ominous tales to her, hinting at the inevitability of old age and time's irreversibility. Drawing inspiration from Michelangelo's Medici Chapel (1518-1534), this work is rooted in a balance of opposing forces. The robust teenager is beset by an unsettling turmoil. His luminous body is manipulated by a twilight allegory, rendering the Realism of Day vulnerable to the symbolism of Night. In essence, the Day and Night or the obverse and reverse sides of a coin are united within a single marble form.