Pablo Gargallo ( Spanish: Pablo Emilio Gargallo Catalán ; January 5, 1881 , Maella - December 28, 1934 , Reus ) - a Catalan sculptor close to Cubism , is considered one of the main figures of modern sculpture in the first half of the twentieth century.
In 1888, he moved to Barcelona with his family. He studied under Eusebi Arnau. In the cafe " Four Cats " met Picasso , Julio Gonzalez and other artists. Since 1903 he often lived in Paris , entered the circle of inhabitants of Bateau Lavoir , artists and writers of Montparnasse (Picasso, Juan Gris , Max Jacob , etc.). Died of pneumonia.
Throughout his life, Gargallo simultaneously adhered to two different styles: the classic, associated with modernism and modernism , and the avant-garde style, in which the sculptor experimented with new forms and materials.
Influenced by his friend Julio González , Gargallo developed a style based on the creation of three-dimensional objects from flat metal plates, using paper and cardboard, creating the illusion of additional volume through the play of shadow and light.
His first metal mask, The Little Mask with a Wick (1907), marks the beginning of a new period in twentieth-century metal sculpture. “This is the first separate attempt to experiment with a material whose plasticity allows you to create thin sections of light and shadow and initiates a dialogue between the surface and depth” [1] .
Gargallo's plastic language uses the expressive power of emptiness. With minimal touches in zero gravity a “sculptural drawing” is created, several important elements of which form a complete image. Among the sculpted masks made in this manner are three masks by Greta Garbo .
He also made more traditional sculptures from bronze, marble and other materials.
Gargallo's most famous work is The Prophet (El profeta, 1933), which is the culmination of the sculptor's cubic works, fully revealing the three-dimensional expression of style.
His experiments with form and space led to the discovery of the “hollow form”, one of the main distinguishing features of the Gargallo style. Replacing convex volumes with concave ones sets the eye to imagine missing shapes.
His museum was opened in 1985 in Zaragoza . Since 1987 , Pablo Gargallo art prize has been awarded. The sculptor’s creations adorn many of Barcelona’s famous buildings, while the Palace of Catalan Music and the Santa Cruz Hospital are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List .
Pablo Gargallo. The mask of a man, 1916
Pablo Gargallo. Kiki from Montparnasse , 1928
Notes
- ↑ Pierre Cabanne, préface in: Pablo Gargallo, sculptures et dessins, catalog de l'exposition à la Monnaie de Paris, avril-juin 2001, p. ten.
Literature
- Pablo Gargallo: catalog raisonné / Pierrette Gargallo-Anguera, ed. Paris: Editions de l'Amateur, 1998
- Casanova M. ao Pablo Gargallo. Valencia: Institut Valencià d'Art Modern; Biarritz: Ville de Biarritz, 2004
- Ordóñez Fernández R. Gargallo en su museo: colecciones del Museo Pablo Gargallo. Barcelona: Fundació Caixa d'Estalvis i Pensions, 2007
Links
- Biography (Spanish)
- http://www.aragonesasi.com/personajes/gargallo.php (Spanish)
- Wikimedia Commons has media related to Pablo Gargallo