From the 1920s to the 1940s Geo Verbanck was one of Ghent’s most important sculptors. He was commissioned to make numerous busts, memorial stones and monuments.He initially worked in an elegant art nouveau style, but in the 1920 evolved towards a simplified and more austere design in the style of the then prevalent art deco. Facing up to Life is a good example of his work from that period. It is one of a series of pieces in which he rendered the successive phases of a woman’s life. It was first carved in white marble and then in limewood. The bronze version shown here, commissioned by the City of Ghent, was originally in the Citadel Park. It was moved into the museum for safety reasons in 1997.
| Artist |
Geo Verbanck
RKD
VIAF
Wikidata
|
|---|---|
| Title | Towards Life |
| Date | 1929 |
| Period | 20th century |
| Location | Ghent TGN |
| Signatures, inscriptions, and markings | signature and year at the back, left: GEO.VERbANCK / 1929 |
| foundries mark at the right on the side of the base: FONDVINDEVOGEL / SWIJNAERDE . GAND | |
| Collection | sculpture AAT |
| Object type | bronze AAT |
| Inventory number | 1933-AA |
| Current whereabouts | Work on display |
| Permalink | https://mskgent.be/collection/work/data/1933-AA |
| IIIF Manifest | https://imagehub.mskgent.be/iiif/3/1329/manifest.json |
| Art & Architecture Thesaurus |
300189808
figures (representations)
AAT
300055865 Symbolism (artistic concept) AAT |
|---|---|
| Keywords Iconclass |
10
(symbolic) representations ~ creation, cosmos, cosmogony, universe, and life (in the broadest sense)
Iconclass
31A2516 arm or hand held in front of the body Iconclass 31A252 postures and gestures of arms and hands in relation to each other Iconclass 31A255 postures and gestures of hand and fingers Iconclass 31A72 female sex; woman Iconclass 31AA the (nude) human figure; 'Corpo humano' (Ripa) - AA - female human figure Iconclass 31AA231 standing figure - AA - female human figure Iconclass 31AA2621 one leg in front of the other - AA - female human figure Iconclass 31D15 adult woman Iconclass |
| School / Style | animism |
| Bouwers : Opstellen over plastische kunst ; Schilders ; Beeldhouwers / Gaston De Knibber. - s.l. : s.n., S.d. (p. 108-109) |
| Wandelgids : MSK in Gent / Sofie Corneillie, Bart Ooghe, Cathérine Verleysen, Lieven Gerard, Lies Ledure, Veerle Verhasselt. - Gent : Museum voor Schone Kunsten Gent, 2022 (p. 12) |
| Walking guide : MSK in Ghent / Sofie Corneillie, Bart Ooghe, Cathérine Verleysen, Lieven Gerard, Lies Ledure, Veerle Verhasselt. - Gent : Museum of Fine Arts Ghent, 2022 |
| Guide de promenade : MSK à Gand / Sofie Corneillie, Bart Ooghe, Cathérine Verleysen, Lieven Gerard, Lies Ledure, Veerle Verhasselt. - Gand : Musée des Beaux-Arts Gand, 2022 |
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