Communication with the purpose of culturally promoting artists included in the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson Collection, works protected by intellectual property rights. Their total or partial reproduction or processing by any means, or their transmission or cession in any form is forbidden without the authorisation of the holder of the rights to the works

JULIA

TECHNICAL DATA

Author: Jaume Plensa (Barcelona, 1955)
Title: Julia
Year: 2018
Technique: polyester resin and white marble powder
Size: 1200 x 367 x 510 cm
Category: Patronage project of Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson

Julia is a project by Jaume Plensa made for the city of Madrid with the patronage of the Fundación María Cristina Masaveu Peterson. It is a large-scale work which is displayed atop the pedestal which used to hold Columbus (Madrid) in the space formerly occupied by the statue of the Genovese sailor. It is a work created specifically for this space.

The figure is based on a real model, a girl from San Sebastián, whom Plensa scanned in order to extract the precise volume of her head. This scan enabled him to work using the mesh that comprises the image, which was later reshaped by computer in order to make the figure slimmer while maintaining the body’s anatomy, thus serving as the foundation for crafting the piece. The face is looking west, towards sundown, engages closely with the façade of the National Library building and projects an interesting shadow on the square.

In the words of this artist, “Julia is targeted at the heart of our being. It is a poetic, virtual mirror in which each of us can see ourselves reflected in our most intimate questions.”

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