This seated nude, drawn inward with arms folded and head resting on them, exemplifies early-20th-century explorations of the human body as a vessel of introspection and emotional weight. Its muscular modeling and compressed pose convey not just anatomical study but inner struggle and contemplation. The roughened, windswept surface evokes the expressive bronzes of Rodin, while the sense of structural weight and mass reflects Bourdelle’s architectural approach, two sculptors central to Pina’s generation. The taut body contrasted with the irregular rock base underscores a modern interest in merging figure and environment into a single, dynamic mass.
The coiled, inward-turned pose links Pina to a long figurative tradition in which the human body carries emotional and symbolic meaning. Knees drawn up, torso folded, arms wrapped protectively around the legs, the posture recalls Hellenistic figures of grief or contemplation, medieval and Renaissance expressions of penitence or vulnerability, and 19th-century psychological explorations by Carpeaux and Rodin. Pina’s treatment, muscular yet softened by a restless surface, aligns with early-20th-century expressive naturalism, where visible handwork and the corporeal as an emotional field were central. Rodin’s influence is evident in the textured surfaces and sense of form emerging from the sculptor’s hand, while Bourdelle’s structural emphasis gives the figure architectural weight and solidity.
InterArt Corporation of America, Eric Manasse, NY 1993
Acquired from the above by The Sheldon and Irma Gilgore Collection of Italian Art, Naples Florida until 2024
The Sheldon G. Gilgore Trust 2024-2025