Pompon | Smooth Animals

FRANCOIS POMPON (1855-1933): Receiving encouragement from Rodin, Francois Pompon produced some stunning works such as the Polar Bear shown at the 1922 Salon d'Automne (Musee d'Orsay in Paris). The lumbering strength of the bear's movement conveys its form, mass, and dimensionality, in a unique way but suggestive of Rodin's earlier training. Pompon's smooth sided animal sculptures have a simplified sophistication that would become characteristic of modern sculpture in the early 20th century.