Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clésinger

JEAN-BAPTISTE AUGUSTE CLÉSINGER (France, 1814 - 1883).
"Bulls".
Patinated bronze.
Signed.
Measurements: 80 x 130 x 55 cm.

The sculptures of bulls of Clésinger are inscribed within a naturalistic and energetic approach, very in agreement with his interest for the anatomy and the expressiveness. His bulls are usually represented with great physical power, emphasizing the tense musculature, the robust volume and an attitude charged with movement or imminent action, often in dynamic postures that suggest a charge or contained force. In contrast to later Art Deco stylization, Clésinger seeks a detailed realism, with worked surfaces marking skin, folds and bone structure, conveying weight and vitality. In addition, there is an almost dramatic or romantic component in his compositions, where the animal is not only an anatomical study, but a powerful and expressive presence, reflecting the artistic sensibility of the nineteenth century.

Jean-Baptiste Auguste Clésinger trained with his father, the sculptor Georges Clésinger, and later developed his career in Paris within the academic artistic environment; he achieved great notoriety in 1847 with his work "Femme piquée par un serpent" (Woman bitten by a snake), which caused a scandal for its sensual realism and its almost provocative naturalism, as it was said to be modeled directly from the body of a real woman; his style lies between romanticism and realism, with a strong attention to anatomical detail and a tendency towards expressive and theatrical compositions; in addition to sculptures, he produced portraits and some paintings, and was linked to artistic and intellectual circles of his time, becoming a recognized figure in the French art scene of the Second Empire.