Luca Madrassi

LUCA MADRASSI (Italy, 1848- France, 1919).
"Fée des mers", c. 1900.
Patinated bronze.
Measurements: 99 x 35 x 35 cm.
Bronze sculpture representing a winged female figure in a dynamic and elegant pose, which seems to dance on a base that evokes the sea waves. The work stands out for the detailed and naturalistic treatment of the forms, from the curls that frame the face to the fluid folds of the cloth that partially envelops the body. The subtlety of the anatomy and the balanced counterpoint reflect Madrassi's academic training, while the subject and composition convey an ethereal and symbolic air typical of fin de siècle symbolism. Fée des mers is an excellent example of transitional sculpture between academicism and the new symbolist trends, notable for its formal refinement and expressiveness.
The motif of the sea fairy is part of the tradition of mythological and allegorical figures that were very popular in Europe at the end of the 19th century, evoking fantastic and natural worlds in which the woman, often represented as a spirit or deity, symbolizes mysterious and primordial forces. Madrassi's work, with its technical mastery and aesthetic sensibility, brings a contemporary and elegant vision of this thematic repertoire.
Luca Madrassi (Italy, 1848 - France, 1919) was an Italian sculptor whose work developed mainly in the transition between the 19th and 20th centuries, in a context in which classical academicism coexisted with symbolist and naturalist currents. He studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris before joining Carrier-Belleuse's workshop. With a great imagination, he exhibited at the Salon from 1879 and received numerous awards for his allegorical and genre busts and statues.