After Louis Chalon

After LOUIS CHALON (Paris, 1866 - 1940).
"Egyptian nymph", c. 1910.
Gilded and patinated bronze.
Measurements: 59 x 22 x 22 cm.

The sculpture, made around 1910 by the French artist Louis Chalon, is a paradigmatic example of the aesthetic sensibility of Art Nouveau, in which a refined eroticism and the fascination for the exotic converge. The piece, all made in gilded and patinated bronze, represents a female figure, languidly reclining on a pedestal, decorated with signs inspired by Egyptian hieroglyphic writing.

The chromatic interplay between the gold of the female body and the dark, textured surface of the pedestal creates a striking expressive contrast. This opposition establishes a dialogue between the sensual and the archaic; the gilded bronze, with its luminosity, accentuates femininity, while the pedestal participates in an archaeological evocation.

Born in Paris, Louis Chalon was an outstanding French painter and sculptor whose artistic training developed under the tutelage of Jules Lefèvre and Boulanger. He was a constant participant in the Salon des Artistes Français, where he received several awards: honorable mentions in 1885 and 1898, as well as a third class medal in 1891. His international projection was reinforced by his participation in the Universal Exhibitions of Paris in 1889 and 1900, on both occasions also awarded honorable mentions. In addition to his activity as a sculptor, Chalon worked as an illustrator for magazines such as La Vie Parisienne, L'Illustration and Figaro Illustré, and put his graphic talent at the service of literary works by classical authors such as Rabelais, Boccaccio and Balzac.

This creative versatility extended to the theatrical field, where he designed costumes and scenery, as well as to goldsmithing, a field in which he also ventured. It was in 1898, from his experiments with wax figures, when Chalon turned definitively to sculpture.

Throughout his career, he specialized in mythological and Wagnerian themes, treated from a symbolist and modernist sensibility. His representations of nymphs, flower-women and valkyries reveal a dreamlike and allegorical universe very representative of the fin-de-siècle spirit.

He worked mainly in bronze, and produced both sculptures and decorative objects - lamps, inkwells, ornamental vases, clocks - many of them conceived with a refined aesthetic sense. He also dabbled in the chryselephantine technique, combining bronze with carved ivory to accentuate the material and sensual hallmarks. More occasionally, he also devoted himself to furniture design, thus expanding his contribution to the universe of the decorative arts.

Chalon's work masterfully synthesizes the eclecticism and formal richness of Art Nouveau, integrating literary, musical and archaeological influences into a visual expression of great lyricism and sophistication.