Vir Temporis Acti (Ancient man)

In 1911, the sculptor Adolfo Wildt left behind 19th-century plastic modeling, engaging himself in the complex revival of ancient sculpture, revitalizing it with the most advanced artistic trends of that time. One of his works from this period, which has unfortunately been lost, is "Vir Temporis Acti," the man from a time gone by: a figure of a soldier who has struck himself with a staff, a symbol of self-inflicted pain, and the redemption and nobility of sacrifice. In this artwork, the powerful memory of Michelangelo's sculpture and of the ancient nudes that Wildt loved to admire in the halls of the Brera Academy, is brought to life with decorative details that are Secessionist in nature and convey a lively, expressive pathos. Created for his German patron, Franz Rose, and destroyed during World War II, Wildt used this marble statue to isolate and recreate the details of the face several times, as in the sculpture kept at the National Gallery of Art, so as to convey an even stronger sense of pain that is at once archaic and completely contemporary. This work ends the journey through the Galleria d'Arte Moderna, forming an ideal bridge to the issues of the 20th century.