Bookmaker

Medardo Rosso’s »Bookmaker« appears to grow out of the bulging ground, his legs literally merging with the craggy landscape. The angle of the figure also lends it a certain dynamism, as if Rosso set out to make movement itself the subject of the sculpture.

For the Italian sculptor, who is frequently counted among the Impressionists, what is especially important here is the spatial impression. A likeness of the model is neglected in favor of a ragged surface vibrating in the light. His works maintain a balance between the dissolution and emergence of form. A solid, concentrated figure does not exist for Rosso. Designed to be viewed from a fixed angle, his sculptures live from the play of light and shadow and the impression that the figure is dissolving.

This concept was revolutionary for Rosso’s contemporaries and exercised a great influence on subsequent generations of artists. His sculptures have been repeatedly described as painterly, as atmospheric bodies, which cannot be grasped concretely or figuratively.