Lot Essay
Brancusi first executed Le poisson in veined marble in 1922 (Bach, no. 183; Philadelphia Museum of Art). The first two bronze versions were cast in 1924 and mounted on marble cylinders (Bach, no. 199a; Private Collection; and Bach, no. 199b; destroyed) and the three final bronze versions, including the present work, were cast in 1926 (Bach, nos. 222b-c; Private Collections). In 1930, Brancusi carved another marble version, this time on a much larger scale (Bach, no. 240; The Museum of Modern Art, New York).
In Le poisson, just as in his sculptures of birds, Brancusi explores ways of conveying motion; his intention was for the spectator to witness the fluid motion of the fish as it darts through the water. The light flashes off of the body, reflections dancing across its metallic surface, mirrored in the highly polished bronze of the disk beneath it. As Brancusi explained:
When you see a fish, you do not think of its scales, do you? You think of its speed, its floating, flashing body seen through the
water... Well, I've tried to express just that. If I made fins and eyes and scales, I would arrest its movement and hold you by a
pattern or a shape of reality. I want just the flash of the spirit. (R. Varia, Brancusi, New York, 1986, p. 205)
As the viewer walks around Le poisson, the figure appears to move and dart, seeming at one angle almost to disappear. Very thin in width, the work challenges the viewer merely to distinguish it when seen from above or head-on, just as a fish does in water. As Margit Rowell wrote in the catalogue to the recent Brancusi retrospective:
Light preoccupied Brancusi throughout his lifetime, both in his
sculpture and in his photography. Whether in the direct sheen of
marble or in the brilliance of polished bronze, his tireless quest
was to catch its reflection: "We do not see real life except by
reflections," he wrote in 1919. His words invite a further step in interpreting the singular phenomenon of his use of a high polish.
(exh. cat., Constantin Brancusi 1876-1957, Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 1995, p. 39)
In the 1922 and 1930 versions of Le poisson, Brancusi again demonstrates the importance of his choice of medium in obtaining exactly the effect he desired. The veins of blue and gray which run through the marble give the immediate impression of rushing water, speed and grace, just as the shining bronze of the present work clearly conveys the sensation of motion and life.
The base of the present work, executed in 1939, is closely related to the base which Brancusi carved for Le commencement du monde of 1924 (Bach, no. 200; Musée d'Orsay, Paris). In both works, the artist daringly juxtaposes the smooth, pure form of the sculpture with the curvilinear shape of the carved wood base. The contrast between the refined, polished bronze form and the heavy, seemingly immovable (although graceful) base dramatically heightens the effect of both works.
In Le poisson, just as in his sculptures of birds, Brancusi explores ways of conveying motion; his intention was for the spectator to witness the fluid motion of the fish as it darts through the water. The light flashes off of the body, reflections dancing across its metallic surface, mirrored in the highly polished bronze of the disk beneath it. As Brancusi explained:
When you see a fish, you do not think of its scales, do you? You think of its speed, its floating, flashing body seen through the
water... Well, I've tried to express just that. If I made fins and eyes and scales, I would arrest its movement and hold you by a
pattern or a shape of reality. I want just the flash of the spirit. (R. Varia, Brancusi, New York, 1986, p. 205)
As the viewer walks around Le poisson, the figure appears to move and dart, seeming at one angle almost to disappear. Very thin in width, the work challenges the viewer merely to distinguish it when seen from above or head-on, just as a fish does in water. As Margit Rowell wrote in the catalogue to the recent Brancusi retrospective:
Light preoccupied Brancusi throughout his lifetime, both in his
sculpture and in his photography. Whether in the direct sheen of
marble or in the brilliance of polished bronze, his tireless quest
was to catch its reflection: "We do not see real life except by
reflections," he wrote in 1919. His words invite a further step in interpreting the singular phenomenon of his use of a high polish.
(exh. cat., Constantin Brancusi 1876-1957, Museum of Art, Philadelphia, 1995, p. 39)
In the 1922 and 1930 versions of Le poisson, Brancusi again demonstrates the importance of his choice of medium in obtaining exactly the effect he desired. The veins of blue and gray which run through the marble give the immediate impression of rushing water, speed and grace, just as the shining bronze of the present work clearly conveys the sensation of motion and life.
The base of the present work, executed in 1939, is closely related to the base which Brancusi carved for Le commencement du monde of 1924 (Bach, no. 200; Musée d'Orsay, Paris). In both works, the artist daringly juxtaposes the smooth, pure form of the sculpture with the curvilinear shape of the carved wood base. The contrast between the refined, polished bronze form and the heavy, seemingly immovable (although graceful) base dramatically heightens the effect of both works.