Richard Rymill (American, 1942-2017). Untitled marble nude, 1984. Signed and dated. A powerful marble sculpture by Richard "Dick" Rymill that simultaneously captures a woman's grace and athletic ability. Rymill skillfully rendered this nude female torso in a dramatically arched pose, akin to that of a limber gymnast or acrobat, with an idyllic form that also conjures associations with the goddess of love. In addition to this remarkable pose, the marble itself is inherently beautiful, presenting with mesmerizing veining and a finely polished finish. Rymill's striking nude torso demonstrates his immense skill and understanding of anatomy; at the same time, the female's severe position pushes boundaries. This stretching of the canonical depiction of the female nude brings to mind the legendary Antonio Canova's words, "I have read that the ancients, when they had produced a sound, used to modulate it, heightening and lowering its pitch without departing from the rules of harmony. So must the artist do in working at the nude." Size: 14.375" L x 20" W x 8.375" H (36.5 cm x 50.8 cm x 21.3 cm); 12.2" H (31 cm) on included custom stand.

This work stems from a longstanding tradition of finely carved marble nudes, notable for their beauty as well as their sensuality. Speaking of the Aphrodite of Knidos for example, Pliny observed that some men were "overcome with love for the statue." Venus/Aphrodite would inspire countless seductive sculptural masterworks throughout art history, among the most famous, Attic sculptor Praxiteles's Aphrodite of Knidos (ca. 360 to 330 BCE), Lely's Venus (ca. 100 to 199 CE), a Roman copy of a Greek original which is now lost named for the painter Sir Peter Lily, and Alexandros of Antioch's "Venus de Milo" ( 130 to 100 BCE).

Provenance: Private Boulder, Colorado, USA collection, acquired between 1980-1990

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#172991

Overall excellent. Signed and dated by the artist. Intentionally uncarved peripheries as shown. Custom wooden stand has minor surface wear (nearly invisible) but is also very nice overall.