Esquisse pour La petite baigneuse

The sculptures that Laurens created during the German occupation of France in 1940-1944 expressed sadness and resignation. Now, following the Liberation, his work began to manifest a more hopeful, even hedonistic outlook. During the mid-1920s Laurens had already begun to turn away from the planar and angular style of his early cubist sculpture as he took a more biomorphic and organic approach to form, which infused his work with softness and sensuality. He became interested in the form of the figure as a whole, instead of regarding it as a sum of parts, and he sought to impart to his figures a more naturally rhythmic dynamism. He imposed upon himself a formal regimen, which required him to "[open] up the volume and [create] a flowing interpenetration of torso and limbs" (quoted in W. Hofmann, op. cit., p. 42). His female figures would remain robustly voluptuous through the end of his career, and in accordance with classical principles, he placed an increasing emphasis on large and fully integrated figures meant to be viewed in the round, such as the present study La petite baigneuse.

The present sculpture was in the collection of Veronica "Rocky" Cooper, the American actress married to film star Gary Cooper. Mr. and Mrs. Cooper were passionate art collectors during their marriage, establishing close relationships with artists such as Pablo Picasso.