Le coureur cycliste (Young Cyclist)

Aristide Maillol studied painting and was a self-taught sculptor. The central points of reference for his work can be described with the words ‘idea’ and ‘nature’. The artists associated the conception of a composition with ‘idea’ and its material form with ‘nature’. The bronze Le coureur cycliste was made for Harry Graf Kessler. Kessler asked Maillol for a depiction of Narcissus (a youthful figure from Greek mythology who fell in love with his reflection, which led eventually to his death) and provided a model that corresponded to his own vision – a young Parisian jockey and bicycle racer, Gaston Colin, with whom Kessler was befriended. Work on the figure took up more time that intended; the casting was only ready at the beginning of 1909. Maillol was dissatisfied with the results, saying that he had followed nature too closely; it was the first time the sculptor had worked on a male figure. In comparison with his sculptures made from female models, his depiction of the body here seems more cautious and less stylized. The work, unusual for the artists, also attracted the attention of Karl Ernst Osthaus. He acquired the second casting, also made using the wax casting process; five other copies were made using sand casting.