Ondine. Female nude with outstretched arms

This work, along with Female Nude with Arms Folded, belongs to the new phase he began upon his arrival in Paris between 1927 and 1929, in which a clear influence of African art from the Gulf of Guinea and Art Decó can be seen. Its distinctiveness lies both in the materials used, in this case, boxwood, and in its formal definition, characterized by a marked schematism and primitivism in the face. The stylized, spindle-shaped female figure, with its smooth, glossy surface, represented an innovation at the time by this great Aragonese sculptor, who was becoming an integral part of the Spanish avant-garde art scene during the years he spent in Madrid.

This sculpture is part of a series of at least a dozen sculpted pieces depicting different poses, all of which are highly evocative and demonstrate the artist’s profound understanding of female intimacy.