Oscar Estruga

(Vilanova i la Geltrú, Barcelona, 1933)

Ariadna en el círculo

1994

patinated bronze

200 x 200 cm

Inv. no. 38150

BBVA Collection Spain


Fascinated by the classical world, this Catalan sculptor, painter, drawing artist and engraver reinvented Greek myths, adapting them to his own personal vision rooted in his own time.
 
Although he initially started training at an industrial school, he soon showed an interest in painting and began working at the studio of the painter Salvador Masana i Mercadé (1924-2009). After 1964, following a trip to Paris, his interest shifted towards sculpture and this was to be the discipline in which he developed his career as an artist.
 
This work in bronze is an exact replica of Ariadna en el círculo —taken from the Greek myth of Ariadne— which he had made for Plaza Mediterránea in his home town of Vilanova i la Geltrú. The circles encompassing the main figure of Ariadne represent the labyrinth and the ball of thread she wove to help Theseus to escape from being devoured by the Minotaur, Ariadne’s brother.
 
The goddess is delicately resolved with naturalism following classical canons. The tensioned posture allows one to better appreciate the attention to detail in her beautiful and highly dynamic anatomy, flowing hair and billowing costume that reminds one of the “wet drapery” of the Greek sculptor Phidias, given the extremely fine texture that enhances her feminine attributes.