Communication with the purpose of culturally promoting artists included in the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Collection, works protected by intellectual property rights. Their total or partial reproduction or processing by any means, or their transmission or cession in any form is forbidden without the authorisation of the holder of the rights to the works.
Masque acéré (Sharp mask)
TECHNICAL DATA
Author: Julio González (Barcelona, 1876–Arcueil, France, 1942)
Title: Masque acéré [Sharp Mask]
Year: 1930 (original work in iron)/1989 (year this copy was cast)
Technique: cast bronze
Size: 26 x 17.5 x 4.3 cm.
Starting in the early twentieth century, masks occupied a prominent place in the aesthetic experiments carried out by the artists of the Parisian avant-garde, both in painting and sculpture, especially metal sculpture. The formal synthesis observed in the pieces from other cultures held, for example, at the Musée d’Ethnographie du Trocadéro, was viewed as a goal to attain by artists looking for new ways to represent reality without describing it literally. At the same time, masks possessed a magical power associated with alternative rites and channels of spirituality to those of western society. Such is the context for this piece by Julio González, made during the time when he was immersed in an artistic collaboration with Pablo Picasso (1881–1973) that would transform the very concept of sculpture.
The mask is composed of cut-out planes achieved by making cuts in the metal plate to allow light to filter through them, enhancing the key facial features. Straight lines lend a harshness to the face. Adopting a language akin to cubism, several angular cuts indicate the eyes and nose, while the edges are curved to add volume to the piece. Overall, the expression is one of melancholy.
The original version of this piece was made in about 1930 in forged iron that was then cut, curved and welded. This copy is the product of a later casting; it bears the number “00” and was cast in Paris, Godard, in 1989. The Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson acquired it at Galería Guillermo de Osma at ARCO 2023.