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La volontà o l’Industria is a plaster sculpture by Leonardo Bistolfi, created around 1925 and preserved in the Gipsoteca Leonardo Bistolfi at Casale Monferrato in Alessandria Province.
The work belongs to the collection of over one hundred seventy objects—terracottas, drawings, plasticine studies, plaster sketches and models, along with select marbles and bronzes—that document Bistolfi’s artistic trajectory across five exhibition rooms. The Gipsoteca illustrates the sculptor’s creative process from initial clay conception through successive plaster studies to the final model that preceded execution in marble and bronze by specialized craftsmen. La volontà o l’Industria represents a point in Bistolfi’s long career, which began under the influence of Milanese Scapigliatura and evolved through various phases of artistic development.
About Leonardo Bistolfi
Leonardo Bistolfi (1859–1933) was a sculptor born and trained in Casale Monferrato. His work began within the aesthetic climate of Milanese Scapigliatura, as seen in early pieces, and expanded through verista and subsequent developments throughout his career, which spanned from the late nineteenth century to the early twentieth century.
Details
- Creator: Leonardo Bistolfi
- Date: circa 1925
- Medium: Plaster
- Location: Gipsoteca Leonardo Bistolfi, Casale Monferrato, Alessandria Province
- Current institution: Museo Civico, ground floor of the former Augustinian convent of Santa Croce
Frequently asked questions
Who created this sculpture?
Leonardo Bistolfi (1859–1933), a sculptor from Casale Monferrato, created La volontà o l’Industria around 1925.
Where can the work be seen?
The sculpture is housed in the Gipsoteca Leonardo Bistolfi in Casale Monferrato, displayed in the ground-floor rooms of the former Augustinian convent of Santa Croce, which forms part of the Museo Civico.
What does the plaster model represent in Bistolfi’s practice?
The plaster model was the definitive stage of Bistolfi’s creative process, embodying the artist’s final conception before the work was transposed into marble or bronze by specialized craftsmen.