Ihor Holubizky, “Sorel Etrog: Five Decades”, Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, 2013, page 100
Pierre Restany, “Sorel Etrog”, New York, 2001, page 14
Abstracted bodily forms figure prominently in Etrog's oeuvre of sculptural works. Curving lines, rounded forms and interlocking elements create a mythological quality in these modern pieces. While studying artifacts at the Brooklyn Museum in the 1950s, Etrog became fascinated with the simplicity of primitive artworks and artifacts. Simple but exaggerated forms both in decoration and figural representations influenced the artist's own practice and development as a sculptor. Votive figures, fertility goddesses, and functional decorated spatulas with elongated sinuous lines inspired Etrog's own use of these components. In regard to the primitive art Etrog admired, William J. Withrow remarks that, “all of life's mysteries appear to be distilled. These artist's many thousands of years ago captured the quintessence of life itself.”
After exploring the world’s earliest artworks and artifacts, Etrog became fascinated by the form of a woman when pregnant. During the summer of 1959, this theme pervaded Etrog's work. Withrow surmises that Etrog was “inspired by the African concept of the fertility goddess which directly resulted in three works: “Pregnant Woman I and II”, remarkable for their schematic approach to the body and the emphasis on the spherical protuberance of the belly.” The title of this work, “La Mer”, is a subtle play on the words, “La mere”, French for mother. The hourglass form with the fleshy curves of the bust and the hips, and the soft protruding belly is a subtle nod to the pregnant form, while the entwined bronze shape creates a gentle harmony as the viewer’s eye moves over the sculpture. In recognition of the artifacts that so inspired Etrog, “La Mer” seeks to capture that same distillation of human essence and mystery.
