Pride

Pride as Inner Radiance: “Pride” by Artigas Planas

Some artworks do not simply depict a gesture — they breathe, they pulse with a quiet inner force. Pride, the sculpture by Artigas Planas, belongs to this rare category where a single posture gives shape to confidence, dignity, and the intimate space one claims for oneself. In this composition blending bronze, iron, and gold leaf, the artist captures an emotion both profound and luminous.

The bronze figure, a seated woman, reclines with unforced elegance against a geometric iron structure. Her legs fold naturally beneath her, and she holds an object in her hands — perhaps a book, perhaps a letter, or simply a moment she chooses to inhabit fully. This woman is not waiting; she occupies her inner landscape with calm assurance. Her relaxed posture does not diminish the quiet strength emanating from her silhouette. Artigas Planas distills in this pose a discreet pride — an assurance that needs no declaration to exist.

Behind her rises a large disc of gold leaf, glowing like a contained sun. Its cracked, translucent texture catches and scatters the light, producing soft, celestial glimmers. This gold is not ornamental; it becomes an aura, the visual manifestation of what radiates from the figure. Pride here is not a social posture, but an inner light — a private gravity that illuminates rather than dazzles. The circle becomes metaphor: what we carry within can be more expansive and more brilliant than what we reveal to the world.

The iron structure, with its clean geometric lines, forms the stage, the frame, the horizon. It anchors without imprisoning. Its open shapes evoke stability and boundaries, yet nothing is fully closed. Artigas Planas composes a space where architectural strength meets human softness, where metal and flesh enter into quiet dialogue.

As with many of the artist’s works, Pride may be displayed free-standing or hung on the wall. Suspended, it becomes a contemporary icon — a manifesto of silent dignity. Placed on a surface, it becomes a subtle companion, a reminder that true pride is neither dominance nor arrogance, but a grounding force, a deep breath, a serene understanding of one’s place in the world.

To acquire Pride is to choose a sculpture that speaks of acceptance rather than conquest, of interior balance rather than power. It is to welcome into one’s home an artwork that diffuses a calm, contemporary light, where bronze, iron, and gold weave together a quiet tale of how one stands — gracefully, simply — in the world.