The sculpture "Corps de femme" (Woman's Body) by Ivo Soldini is a bronze work that explores the fragmentation and texture of the human body, specifically the female torso.
Subject and Form: The artwork is a partial torso, severed from the head and the complete lower limbs. This fragmentation focuses attention on the central mass and the subtle movement. The body appears to twist or lean in a pose that is both dynamic and introspective.
Material and Texture: The bronze surface is not smooth. It features a heavily worked and rough texture, resembling chain mail, tight knitted fabric, or reptile skin (scaly or checkered). This gives the body a look that is both sensual and archaic or protective.
Color and Patina: The main patina is a dark, earthy brown, typical of aged bronze. However, views like Ivo S._Corps de femme_01.jpg and Ivo S._Corps de femme_02.jpg reveal touches of verdigris (a light green or turquoise patina) in the hollows, contrasting with smoother, polished surfaces of gold or brass color at the end of the truncated upper limb. This contrast creates a visual dialogue between the rough/textured and the smooth/precious.
Base: The sculpture rests on a simple, dark rectangular base (apparently black marble or polished stone), which serves to anchor the form in space and present it as an autonomous art object.
Ivo Soldini's work is situated primarily within the movement of Contemporary Figurative Sculpture (or New Figuration) with reminiscences of Art Brut (Outsider Art) for its texture.
Figurative Anchoring: Soldini is a representative of Expressionist Figuration in modern sculpture. He does not seek the classical idealization of the human body but its exploration as mass, volume, and emotional expression. His forms are often heavy and full.
Fragmentation and Heritage: The use of the bodily fragment (the torso) harks back to masters of modern sculpture like Auguste Rodin and, more directly, to the Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti in the existentialist approach to the human figure.
Art Brut and Materiality: The heavily worked, almost tortured or primitive texture establishes a link with Art Brut or trends that value the material in its raw or unpolished state. For Soldini, the skin/surface becomes a garment, a shell, or the record of an internal experience, emphasizing the telluric force of the object.
Synthesis: His work could be described as Existentialist or Expressionist Figurative. The artwork expresses a human condition of solitude and interiority through massive volumes, rough surfaces, and a focus on the fragmented body.
Ivo Soldini is a renowned Swiss sculptor, known for his work dedicated exclusively to bronze and the human body.
Birth and Origin: He was born on October 9, 1951, in Lugano, in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland.
Education: He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera in Milan, a place of learning that rooted him in the tradition of figurative sculpture.
Style and Themes:
His work focuses almost exclusively on the human figure, often fragmented (torsos, seated or reclining figures).
His sculptures are characterized by massive volumes, a rough and textured surface (as seen in your work), and a sense of monumentality even in small pieces.
The main themes are solitude, anticipation, reflection, and the human condition.
Career and Recognition: He has exhibited his works in numerous galleries and museums in Switzerland, Italy, and abroad, and his sculptures are featured in important public and private collections.
Current Status: Ivo Soldini is still alive and active. He lives and works in his native region, in Ligornetto (Ticino, Switzerland).
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