Medardo Rosso

The Italian artist Medardo Rosso (1858-1928) is a key figure in the development of modern sculpture. His portraits and figure studies have long been considered sculptural equivalents to Impressionism's concern with light at the expense of form. This book presents an artist more deeply concerned with materials, process, and the reproduction of his works than previously imagined. Rosso's fascination with technique is explored in detail from art historical, technical, and phenomenological perspectives. Drawing on a wealth of new archival material and close-up study of the sculptures, the authors show that Rosso's waxes, which are his best-known works, were not modelled by hand but cast with the help of gelatin moulds. The authors compare wax, plaster, and bronze casts of the same subjects to show that the manipulation of materials for visual effect was at the heart of his work. The book also reproduces and analyses Rosso's fascinating photographs of his own sculpture, which offer important clues to the charged relationship he sought to create between viewers and the mysterious busts and figures he made.