Stranded

"Stranded" is an bronze sculpture created by Erté in 1988. The sculpture size is 20" x 10.5" x 9". The artwork ships with a certificate of authenticity. Stranded is based on one of Erté’s earliest covers for Harper’s Bazar – January 1916.Erté was often inspired by the graceful flow and movement of water, and motion itself. Cast in 1988 for the ‘Theatre in Bronze’ series, Stranded presents a woman poised on a rock emerging from the sea, evoking a ‘maiden in distress.’ The woman appears to be trapped in a state of isolation without means of departure, yet a sense of calm attentiveness emanates from her facial expression (in contrast to the original gouache where her wide-eyed look conveys a more frightened state, though possibly feigned). Energy reverberates around the figure as silver fish dance on undulating waves and the wind whips around her – seizing the drapery, which assumes the form of a question mark, possibly intimating the uncertainty of her destiny or emotional state.