The LETS Museum is exhibiting the preparatory plaster cast thanks to the generosity of Nerina Pancino, the sculptor’s granddaughter and, together with Francesco Bordin, the driving force behind the Marcello Mascherini Archive in Trieste.
As early as 1980, the mayor of Trieste, Manlio Cecovini – promoter of the Committee for the celebrations of Joyce’s centenary – expressed his firm intention, stating that the city would not limit itself to commissioning a simple plaque; thoughts were already turning towards a bust in the public garden, where the busts of many illustrious fellow citizens are situated. Indeed, on 11 April 1981, the official request arrived on schedule: ‘Distinguished Master, as we have already had occasion to inform you verbally, this committee intends to erect a bronze bust of James Joyce opposite that of Italo Svevo as a lasting memorial to his long residence in Trieste. We are writing to you, Master, to ask whether you would be willing to create this sculptural work’.
Mascherini’s reply (12 May 1981) was enthusiastic; he expressed his heartfelt thanks to his friend Manlio, as well as the honourable mayor, for placing such great trust in his work.
The artist himself wrote in the 1940s: ‘A portrait must convey a universally understood moment, a “state of mind” that must be captured in the work, so that it embodies precisely the universal essence of being in that particular subject’.
It is no coincidence that the Joycean bust features a striking bronze frame – unusual and captivating for a sculpture – which reveals its source material: a vintage photographic portrait and the preparatory sketch that will be discussed shortly. The slender frame serves as a coup de théâtre, framing the poet’s face in a new and unique way. Indeed, the youthful features, characterised by the pince-nez (nose-clip spectacles) and the moustache, offer a timeless portrait with a distinctly pictorial composition, transforming the work into a painted sculpture.
As the sources highlight, Mascherini managed to obtain an image depicting the young Joyce; in this vintage photograph, taken in 1905 by Mario Circovich in his photographic studio (Piazza della Borsa 12), he focuses with amusement on the brim of the hat and the Irishman’s furrowed yet carefree face. The posture is recreated with quick strokes of pen and marker on the preparatory sketch, and re-shaped in the plaster model, both of which remain in the artist’s collection.
In late September 1981, casting operations began at the Brustolin Foundry in Verona; the elderly sculptor emphasised how the work achieved its artistic objectives: ‘With this portrait, I wanted to revisit, once again and with patience, the challenge of creating an image from reality: in short, to devote myself wholeheartedly to what I consider the craft of the sculptor and the artist’.
On 2 February 1982, in the midst of the Symposium celebrations, the bronze bust of James Joyce was unveiled—just a few steps from the bust of Svevo—by Mascherini and Cecovini themselves.
Stelio Crise, a friend of the artist, spoke on that special occasion as follows:
‘For us, The Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man will no longer be merely the title of a wonderful book; it has become a bronze bust that stands in a fine spot in our Public Garden. Beneath the brim of a swaggering wide-brimmed hat, two eyes—not yet afflicted by any ailment—pierce us arrogantly with that self-assurance peculiar to genius. ‘Art is born of art,’ says Mascherini, and he has happily confirmed this with his sculptural genius.”
[Texts by Marco Favetta]
