Pistoya (Mother and Child)

Pistoya (Mother and Child) is a pivotal piece that marks Etrog’s transition from his “screws and bolts” moment to the more austere “hinges” period. The mother and child motif, which appeared in different sculptures throughout Etrog’s career, here receives a new interpretation through the new language of the hinge.

 

Interestingly, the hinge does not appear in the study bronze maquette for the piece but does exist in the study drawing, as well as in its final version, thus enhancing the work’s status as a transition piece and one of the very first “hinge” works.