Lot 301: Benda Bretislav (Líšnice 1897 - 1983 Prague) Girl

Benda Bretislav (Líšnice 1897 - 1983 Prague)
Girl Entering Water, bronze, with dark patina, signed Bret. Benda, 1930, caster's mark K. Barták, height 88 cm (Zí)
Lit.: Kotalík J., Bretislav Benda, Odeon, 1982, fig. 15 - slightly different version
Bretislav Benda, exhibition catalogue, Prague, 1977, other, slightly different version
Bretislav Benda's work from the end of the 1920s focused on the depiction of the female body. The author made many civilian sculptures of nude young girls, in which he departs from the established composition scheme and applies new formal solutions. In terms of themes, he was attracted by the motif of bathing, which allowed him to depict the female body in everyday, but charming situations. The sculpture on offer, "Girl Entering Water", captures a moment when a girl has just put her clothes aside with her right hand, is wiping sweat off her forehead with the back of the left hand, and entering water with the left foot. The author designed the sculpture in several sizes, which differ slightly in the design of the stone on which she is setting down the textile drapery. A larger, 188 cm tall bronze version is in the collection of the Gallery of the City of Prague. Nude girls from this era represent the peak of Benda's work. Contributing to the exceptional nature of the bronze are the very high quality of the cast and the patina from the casting workshop of Karel Barák.