La rivière

This fierce vividness contrasts sharply with Aristide Maillol’s earlier works. Not long before making this work, the artist still expressed a strong preference for serenity and calm in sculpture. 

Dina Vierney became the muse of the then 73-year-old artist at the age of 15, and was probably the model for this work. Yet this is not an individual portrait: Maillol created ideal images. With simplified, almost geometric body shapes, he has emphasized harmony and balance.

Maillol drew inspiration from classical Greek sculpture, in which allegories are an important motif. Human figures personify concepts such as virtues, but also natural elements, such as the seasons, a mountain range, or a river. In the first half of the 20th century, Western artists often made a link between impetuous nature and “untamed” women.

French artist Aristide Maillol studied painting, made book illustrations, and designed tapestries. As a sculptor, he started with terracotta. From 1900, he worked in wood, later with stone and bronze as well. He is known for his female nudes in a neoclassical style inspired by the idealized human figures of classical Greek sculpture.