Youth with a daisy
Technical details
Description
Pablo Gargallo. Made in 1927, this was one of the sculptor's favourite works. His daughter, Pierrette Gargallo, said on several occasions that it was known as "The Aragonese" in the artist's home. Gargallo kept it open to view in both of his Paris studios, the first in the Rue Dohis, near Parc Montsouris, and the one to which he later moved located in the Rue Vaugirard. For Gargallo this nude youth, with his casual pose and clean and compact volumes, with a daisy in his mouth and cachirulo or headscarf – worn by Aragonese farmers – on his head, represented the spirit of Aragon. Perhaps he was inspired by the naked body of his friend Pablo Picasso, who liked to walk about undressed in his Paris studio in the "Bateau Lavoir" building. As explained on the base of the sculpture, this piece was the second of three artist's proofs cast in bronze during Gargallo's lifetime.