Guy Degrenne 'The mermaid' bronze sculpture

This captivating sculpture depicts a slender mermaid, rising vertically from her rough stone base, arms raised and crossed above her head. Created in bronze, she combines strength and grace in a fluid, dynamic form. The artist has brought this mythological figure to life by infusing the metal with an organic texture, sometimes smooth, sometimes rough, evoking both the sensuality of the female body and the aquatic element to which she belongs.
The mermaid's body, long and sinuous, extends into a powerful tail whose finely textured scales convey movement and substance. The ascending posture expresses a gesture of liberation or supplication, depending on the viewer's interpretation. The arms crossed at the top form a line of force that channels energy towards the sky, while the lower body anchored to the stone recalls its marine origins. This duality between water and land, dream and reality, gives the work symbolic depth.
The treatment of the bronze, with its warm, oxidized patinas, accentuates the contrasts of light and material. The hair, cascading down her back, seems animated by an invisible current. Details are treated expressively rather than realistically, giving the figure an almost dreamlike quality. Each angle of view reveals a different facet of the sculpture: sometimes soft and welcoming, sometimes mysterious and wild.
The rough rock base serves not only as a pedestal, but also as a symbolic link with the natural world, reinforcing the idea that this creature is a being of transition, between worlds. The whole evokes profound themes such as freedom, emancipation, femininity and the union between man and nature.
With its refined yet expressive style, this work is part of a contemporary tradition of figurative sculpture, blending symbolism and raw emotion.