The Struggle of the Two Natures in Man

George Grey Barnard

1888; carved 1892–94 · Marble · The American Wing

While living in Paris, Barnard labored on this work— his most famous—for over six years. After the single block of marble was roughed out in Italy, Barnard finished carving the sculpture himself. In 1894, he exhibited it in Paris under the title Je sens deux hommes en moi [I sense two men in myself ]. While the symbolism of the group eludes definitive interpretation, Barnard used sculpture to explore all aspects of the human condition; here, the figures are treated dramatically in order to evoke the inner life of man. The batlike creature on the left arm of the lower figure may refer to the darkness in which man’s baser nature is mired.

Artist

George Grey Barnard

Date

1888; carved 1892–94

Medium

Marble

Culture

American

Department

The American Wing

Credit line

Gift of Alfred Corning Clark, 1896