Henri LAURENS (1885-1954) [FRANCE] - Lot 41

Henri LAURENS (1885-1954) [FRANCE] Winged rider Pencil on paper. Monogrammed lower right. 54.5 x 44.5 cm (view) The great art dealer Daniel Henri Kahnweiler defined Laurens as "the finest flower of Cubism". In the years 1915-1920, Laurens was a companion of Picasso, Braque and Gris, who all admired him. Sculpted stones and bronzes, as well as constructions using novel materials (cardboard, wire) and collages, were his singular contribution to this avant-garde movement. In the thirties, Laurens renewed himself: while architecture and the volumetry of bodies remained fundamental, he introduced movement and life into his sculpture. A dynamic of lines and curves, inspired by a joyful lyricism, appears in a series of sculptures on the theme of the mermaid. Our 1940 drawing, with its elegant cursiveness, reflects this new inspiration. Particularly admirable are the uninterrupted continuity of the line, the synthetic intelligence of the gesture and the joyful, almost humorous lyricism that emanates from it. It's also worth remembering that Laurens began his career as a pupil of Rodin, whose sense of ellipsis and virtuosity he retained.