«Head of a Girl». 1914. Sergei Konenkov. Wood. Dimensions: 29×29×34.5 cm. Tactile model. Plastic.
The sculpture depicts a young woman’s head with flowing hair streaming backward. The long hair, rendered as powerful, stylized strands, forms a dense mass that seems to elongate and stretch the sculptural form into depth. The girl’s face is slightly elongated, with features that are both prominent and flattened: wide-open eyes with heavy lids, a straight nose, and full lips.
The description «semi-portrait, semi-allegory» fits this work well, though no specific mythological figure is named. Traces of the artist’s fascination with early Greek sculpture are discernible—the simplified volume of the facial area, the rather rough treatment of the wooden surface, and the avoidance of excessive detail. Yet if we compare this piece with the sculpture «Kore,» we find it less reminiscent of an archaic statue.
by Irina Savenko