Jaume Otero

JAUME OTERO I CAMPS (Mahon, 1888 - Barcelona, 1945).
"Figure.
Marble.
Signed.
Measurements: 65 x 24 x 14 cm.
Exhibitions: MEAM "A century of Catalan sculpture", 2013. Reproduced in the catalog, page 137.

Elegant sculpture in white marble representing a nude female figure standing, gently idealized anatomy and serene attitude. The figure holds on both sides bunches and garlands of fruit, which introduces a clear symbolic allusion to fertility, abundance and nature, linking the work to both classical iconography and the allegorical universe characteristic of much of the Catalan sculpture of the first third of the twentieth century. The composition, of restrained balance and classical verticality, presents a careful cadence of curved lines and a studied softness in the body surfaces, which contrasts with the more detailed treatment of the fruits and the folds of the cloth that falls from the shoulders to the feet. The inclined face with an introspective expression accentuates the sensation of poetic delicacy. Jaume Otero i Camps belongs to the generation of Catalan sculptors who, departing from the modernist and symbolist tradition, evolved towards a more refined and serene language, close to the renewed classicism that characterized Mediterranean sculpture between the wars. Works like this one show his technical mastery of marble and his sensitivity towards the idealized human figure, integrating formal beauty, compositional balance and symbolic content.

Jaume Otero I Camps was one of the leading Catalan sculptors of the 20th century. He studied in Barcelona, Paris and Brussels and spent time in several countries to perfect his training, including France, Belgium, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Italy. His elegant modernist works are heavily influenced by his international travels and, in particular, by French Art Deco. Otero was also influenced by Albert Bartholomé, with whom he worked in Paris from 1911 to 1914. Her works often tend toward stylization, seeking to accentuate the femininity of her figures. Another characteristic of her work is the decoration, which is manifested in the careful work done in the details, such as fabrics and reliefs, and which brings her closer to art deco.