La Danza (eng. Dance). Original color etching and aquatint, unknown year. Edition of 25 signed and numbered impressions on Arches paper.
Giacomo Manzù, pseudonym of Giacomo Manzoni, was an Italian artist, well-known for his bronze statues and bas-reliefs. He was captivated by classical sculpture, the work of Michelangelo and Aristide Maillol’s figures, which he discovered in books, and he created three-dimensional figures and reliefs, focusing on genre scenes and figures from the Bible. Representing the human figure, Manzù’s emphasis on design and simplified form made his art apart from his more traditional contemporaries. “The concept of a sculpture must not emanate from your bourgeois prejudices but only and exclusively from love. It is not only to you I say this: I constantly impress it upon myself as well.” – Manzù said. We can see here the pure realism and extremely delicate modeling, which achieved sensuousness of form and surface, lending a new spirit of vitality to his depictions.