Polar bear (@Orsay museium)

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François Pompon (1855~1933), a master sculptor, spent years as one of Paris's most sought-after assistants, carefully crafting blocks of marble for Auguste Rodin and Camille Claudel. However, after 1905, Pompon reacted against Rodin's expressionism by focusing on the animals he observed at the Jardin des Plantes. His masterpiece, Polar Bear, debuted in 1922 at the Salon d'Automne, earning him recognition at the age of sixty-seven. By stripping away extraneous details and trappings, Pompon distilled his sculptures to their essence, drawing upon a monumental scale that imbues each work with presence and power. This stark simplicity transcends anecdotal storytelling, instead revealing an aspiration for timelessness and permanence, hidden beneath the calm exterior of fullness, lies a deep yearning for universal form. Pompon's creative process involved accumulating details before gradually stripping them away, as he once said, "I first do the animal with almost all its trappings. Then I eliminate them..." Colette was captivated by the "thick, mute" paws of his animals, a testament to his ability to capture their essence. Reference: Orsay museum website