The portrait of Mademoiselle Pogany.

-Constantin Brancusi-

Constantin Brancusi was a pioneer of modernism(.Modernism, in general,

includes the activities and creations of those who felt the traditional forms of art,
architecture, literature, religious faith, philosophy, social organization, and one of the
most influential sculptors of the 20th century. He emerges his inspiration from
Romanian folk art and showed talent for carving objects out of wood. Brancusi
travelled to Munich and then to Paris, where he met Margit Pogany, which will later
be his muse. She asked for a portrait as she was leaving town to go to Hungary-her
birthplace. Only when she left, Brancusi managed to recreate her portrait from his
memory.
Margit Pogany was his inspiration for what has become one of the most
acclaimed masterpieces of the 20th century. It represented a bent head on a short
neck, it was all eyes only . After he accomplished a Muse, this time with legs,
lacking respect and having an invisible presence, Brancusi makes Mademoiselle
Pogany I out of white marble. The sculptor brings together her most powerful
features, such as her small round head dominated by her deep-set eyes under heavy
brows.When Margit visited Brancusi`s atelier, she notices a white marble I felt that it
was me, even though it had none of my features. She was all eyes only.
Jean Arp states: Who is this beauty? She is Mademoiselle Pogany, a relative
of lady Shub-ad, the beautiful Sumerian girl and of Nefertitti. Mademoiselle Pogany is
the enchanting ancestor of abstract culture. She consists of arcades, curves and
pearly joints, from pure shells. But as a riposte, Brancusi states They are
imbeciles who say about my work it would be abstract; what they call abstract is the
purest realism, because reality is not represented by external form but the idea
behind it, the essence of things. "
Mademoiselle Pogany had three versions. The first was in 1912 and it was
made out of marble, the second was in 1919 and the third one dates from 1931 and
1933 and it was made out of bronze, and it evolves towards a geometry more and
more accentuated, becoming more and more abstract. All three versions were
positioned at the beginning on a rock pedestal, for they are later to be raised on an
ensemble of overlapped pedestals.
From my personal point of view, this sculpture emits femininity and tranquility.
Because it has no harsh edges, it shows continuity and the fact that the whole
sculpture emphasizes on a woman`s biggest advantage, which are her eyes. The
colour in which was originally made, white, shows purity and calmness and it is very
enjoyable to the eye because it has such light color.

Bibliography:- www.wikipedia.com
-www.philamuseum.org
-philartmuseum.blogspot.ro
- Enciclopedica Book, vol I series II, Univers Publishing