Coming out of the sea

Coming out of the sea is a sculptural work by Salvador Martorell (La Canonja, 1895 - Tarragona, 1968) produced with stone from La Sènia, which was awarded a gold medal in the International Exhibition of Decorative Arts of Paris in 1925. This work depicts a woman coming out of the sea, represented by a square base with a bunch of tulips engraved in relief at the front, while at the rear it insinuates waves that surround the legs of the figure.

Wearing a bathing suit from the 20s, the creases in the garment simulate the wetness of the body as it comes out of the water.

Her posture reminds us of archaic Greek Kouros statutes. With her hieratic expression, she places one foot in front of the other while maintaining her arms close to her body and her fists closed.

Paquita Antem, the sculptress’ mother, was the model for this work, which fully complies with the aesthetic principles preached by Arístides Maillol (Banyuls sur Mer, 1861 -1944): sphericity and simplicity of volumes and the suggestion of a body that is alive yet does not reveal a defined expression.

For this reason the work has a contained emotion, since we are unable to observe any expression on her face. The muscles are not defined, yet we can see the volume of her limbs, which are rounded, full and have a smooth surface.

The movement is also patent in order to give it a natural appearance, without abandoning formal purism as an inherent part of the sculptural volume.

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