Leo Mol
Anne, 2001
Bronze, 121 x 91 x 124 centimetres
Leo Mol has devoted a great deal of his creative energy to life-sized figures of young women. His vast work in this genre has been compared to that of Italian sculptor Giacomo Manzu, and it often recalls the blithe, stylized figures of French Impressionist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. However, Mol's sculptures of young women are unmistakably his own.
Observe the prominent contours of Anne's hair, flowing gently and communicating with the soft curves of her arms and body, a hallmark of Mol's work in this genre. As is common among Mol's sculptures of women, Anne is comfortable and carefree in her surroundings. The attitude of the sitter and the artist's interpretation are combined to completely eliminate harshness and tension from the scene.
About Leo Mol
Leo Mol (Leonid Molodoshanin) was born in 1915 in Polonne, Ukraine, a village full of potters in an area rich in red clay. Consequently, when Mol began his art studies in Leningrad, he was already an experienced clay modeller. He initially planned to become a painter, but it soon became clear that his destined path lay in sculpture. Mol would go on to study in Berlin and The Hague before moving to Winnipeg in 1948.
His first sculpting commission was a portrait of the composer Borodin in Leningrad. Since then, Mol has executed works for commissions across the globe. Among them are portrait sculptures of John Diefenbaker, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Taras Shevchenko. In addition to his sculptures of famous world figures, Mol has sculpted wildlife, religious subjects and the human form. He has also created a number of stained glass windows for commissions in Manitoba, British Columbia and Ontario.
Mol is a member of the Royal Canadian Academy, and in 1989 he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada. The world-renowned Leo Mol Sculpture Garden, which opened in 1992 displays over 300 of Mol's works in Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park. In 2002, Mol was honoured by having his sculpture Lumberjacks featured on a Canadian postage stamp.