The Body

What effect does this sculpture have on you? Imagine that you have to describe this sculpture to a friend. What distinctive elements would you point out? Which parts of the sculpture do you feel convey the subject’s suffering? If you could ask the Wounded Man one question, what would it be?

The Wounded Man is characteristic of Belgian sculptor Jef Lambeaux’s Neo-Baroque style. Lambeaux was considered to be one of the most important artists in Belgium in the 19th century. Here, we see a nude male whose contorted body and pained expression reveal his suffering. It is left to us to imagine the cause of his torment: is it physical or mental? This sculpture is actually a bronze replica of one of the central figures – Suicide – from the artist’s imposing marble bas-relief known as Human Passions (1886–1898). Currently on display in Brussels, the massive work depicts a jumble of male and female bodies representing a broad spectrum of emotions and states of mind, from seduction to despair, and everything in between. Startling in its images of horrific violence and carnal pleasures, the work outraged conservative critics at the time but nevertheless earned Lambeaux a medal of honour at the 1900 Paris Exposition. The process of isolating a figure from a relief and creating a standalone work was a fairly common practice among contemporary sculptors. In fact, Auguste Rodin, who Lambeaux knew personally, did the same with his iconic Thinker, which can be observed in the next room.

Have a closer look at some of the portraits in this room. Which of the faces would you pair with this body? This work is cast in bronze. What medium do you think Maillol used to sculpt the original model? This is meant to be a representation of female beauty circa 1935. What are some of the differences we can observe with the standards of beauty set by today’s society?

This bronze sculpture of a female nude is unique in its simplicity and refinement. Devoid of a head, an expression and even an identity, she stands as an ideal of beauty as Aristide Maillol saw it. Maillol was a skilled modeller who spent a great deal of time sculpting the female form. Some of his nudes have full bodies, others are missing heads and/or limbs, but all seek a formal ideal through the simplification of volumes. Maillol would start by modelling his figures in clay and then cast them in bronze.

Here, the purity of the lines, the brilliance of the bronze and the tranquility of the posture standing in slight contrapposto evoke the statues of Antiquity, of which Maillol was an ardent admirer. Auguste Rodin was a contemporary of Maillol’s and praised his talent. Maillol eschewed embellishment in favour of simplification, rejecting any form of narrative. The immobile female body we see before us is a testimonial to the quest for aesthetic purity that was the hallmark of his work.

What are the first three words that spring to mind when you look at this piece? Which elements of the sculpture depict human forms and which depict plants? What kind of feelings does the idea of a “cactus body” stir up for you

Spanish artist Julio González created this sculpture of a half-human/half-cactus at the end of the Spanish Civil War. González saw Franco take power in 1939 and witness his home region of Catalonia plagued by fighting and massacres shortly thereafter.

The hybrid form he created here contains actual nails that allude to the human suffering endured under Franco’s dictatorship and evoke resilience, resistance and the refusal to tolerate injustice. The surreal, metaphorical figure is therefore the embodiment of the artist’s desire to express his people’s misery.

Considered by his contemporaries as the father of modern iron sculpture, González also collaborated with Pablo Picasso, who admired his talent and dexterity.

Which materials have gone into making this work of contemporary art? If you move to the other side of it, what do you see? If you look at the other works all around you, what underlying styles or themes connect them with this particular piece?

This immense two-way mirror, created for the opening of the Pavilion for Peace in 2016, is a contemporary artwork that reflects our own image back at us. At first glance, we catch a glimpse of the sculpture on the other side of the mirror, alongside our own reflection, our body, our face, as if through an old daguerreotype. We therefore become part of the work for the space of a few moments. Then, crossing over to the other side, we are once again looking at the piece as it transforms into a window to observe our fellow art admirers.

In the age of selfies, Pouliot plays with our proclivity for photographing ourselves in the destinations we visit and lets us indulge our voyeuristic curiosity from the other side of the mirror. A study of abundance and appearance, encased in an 18th-century-style rococo frame, this self-portrait puts us face to face with ourselves, examining how we see our surroundings, consider our Western artistic heritage and reflect, literally, on the values that have been passed down to us.

Try to imitate the way the subject of this painting is standing. How does it make you feel? What do you think the various fabrics and materials represented in this painting are? Look at Sir Robert Gunning’s outfit and accoutrements. What are they meant to imply about him? Name some of the garments, attitudes and accessories that are typically associated with modern-day leaders.

This grandiose portrait is of British aristocrat and diplomat Sir Robert Gunning. The other portraits in the room confirm the popularity of portraiture among 18th-century nobility. George Romney, whose talent as a portrait painter had made him one of the most sought-after British artists of his day, also immortalized his own wife and two daughters on canvas.

His finely crafted work captures the subject’s tremendous sense of pride, represented by such lavish materials as satin, velvet, embroidery and feathers. Sir Robert’s clothing, wig, posture and expression, and his opulent surroundings, all contributed to the image he sought to project. Note the white shoes with the red heels, symbols of his station in life. There is also the ornate gold chain on his chest and the embroidered star on his cape indicating that he was a member of the Order of the Bath, an honour bestowed upon him by the King of England. Incidentally, the current Great Master of the Order is none other than Prince Charles.

As you look at this sculpture from various angles, which details strike you the most? Which words would you use to describe the artist’s work? Which environment do you imagine this young girl to be in? What do you think she is doing?

This is a marble sculpture of a nymph, a mythological creature associated with nature. Nymphs figure prominently in Ovid’s Metamorphoses, published in the 1st century AD. Ovid wrote that Salmacis, the figure depicted here, spent her time bathing, picking flowers and admiring her own reflection in the water.

The sheer artistry of the work reveals a variety of textures and the natural veins of the marble, which breathes life into this sculpture. Look at the striking detail of her toes and the precise way the gap between her feet is presented and you’ll soon understand why Bosio was widely referred to as the French Canova. A Neo-Classical master, Bosio was hailed for his astonishing talent and the incredible refinement of his mythological figures and portraits.

What do you think is the connection between the two subjects in this sculpture? As you look at this sculpture from various angles, what is your eye drawn to? What do you think the two figures are looking at?

This polychrome wood carving depicts Joseph and the baby Jesus. Generally speaking, religious scenes representing the Holy Family tend to focus on Mary and Jesus, with Joseph relegated to a secondary role. Here, however, Joseph is portrayed as a powerful protector, with a strong body and draped in a fabric that accentuates his dynamic posture and curled sitting position. Cradled on his left knee, a semi-nude baby Jesus raises his arm in a greeting or a blessing. Both are looking downward, which implies that the work, which was not sculpted fully in the round (the back shows that it was meant to be placed against a vertical surface), was likely an altarpiece intended to be above worshippers’ eyeline and thus looked at from below.

It is worthy of note that Joseph is one of the patron saints of Canada, having been declared as such in 1624 by the first settlers to Quebec. Montreal is actually home to the world’s largest sanctuary dedicated to Saint-Joseph: Saint Joseph’s Oratory of Mount Royal.

What are the first things you notice about this carving that resonate with you? If you could paint the surface of the wood, which colours would you pick? What do you think is going through Saint Sebastian’s mind?

Closer observation of this sculpture shows a number of tiny holes along its entire surface. These holes were made by small worms burrowing into the wood, which is a reminder of how fragile every piece of art is and how important proper conservation conditions are. A few vestiges of white and red paint remain on this once-polychrome carving. How it looked in its full-colour version back in the day is now left to our imagination, as is the case for most wooden sculptures of a certain age.

Saint Sebastian, a Christian martyr from the 3rd century AD, is depicted here draped in fabric. Small arrows would have pierced his chest, legs, arms and neck when the sculpture was first created, but these details were unfortunately too delicate to stand the test of time.

Artist Tilman Riemenschneider was one of the most important German sculptors and woodcarvers of his day. His style of depicting faces and bodies is highly recognizable: the almond-shaped eyes, slightly pointy chin, wavy hair, elongated limbs and contrapposto stance are all telltale characteristics of his creations.

**Compare the background of this painting with the figures in the foreground. What differences do you see? Who do you think is the most important person in this scene and why? Describe the facial expressions of each of the subjects. **

This painting shows two women, one holding a sword, placing a severed head in a bag in a rather ill-defined setting. The woman with the sword is Judith, the Jewish heroine who freed her people from the military tyrant Holofernes by cutting off his head after he had fallen asleep drunk.

Although the event, taken from the Book of Judith in the Old Testament, is one of horrific violence, it is portrayed here with aloofness. The facial expressions of the two women, Judith’s posture and the style of the women’s robes are clearly inspired by sculptures of the Antiquity. Both Judith and her maid are painted with tempera, a technique developed during the Medieval period using eggs to bind the pigments. Like the painting to your right (Dido, also by Mantegna), Judith and Holofernes was commissioned by Isabella d’Este, probably for her studiolo, a special private study dedicated to the appreciation of art and intellectual conversation. The full series included a number of paintings all the same size, each representing a heroine of the Antiquity, which would have been a fascinating subject indeed for a woman with scholarly interests.

What was your initial reaction to this sculpture? How might you interpret this unconventional way of representing the human body? How do you think this subject feels? Take a moment to close your eyes and feel the inside of your body. Which geometric and organic shapes do you see?

This sculpture by Antony Gormley is an assembly of metal blocks, representing a human being in a standing position. The artist’s goal with this work was to represent a person’s inner feelings rather than their outward appearance. “I’ve spent my life trying to show that the body is a place that is more than an object; it’s the most precious thing we have. When you close your eyes, you can feel the energy, imagination and potential you have inside you.”

With this artwork, the artist shows us that our memories are stored in our bodies, where a permanent trace is kept. Our bodies are a receptacle of physical sensations, emotions and recollections. This stack of blocks, a stylized abstraction in keeping with Gormley’s overall aesthetic, therefore gives shape to the various feelings that a body might experience and that may remain subtly hidden within us throughout our lifetime.