Twilight, Marble sculpture in 6th arrondissement, France.
Twilight is a marble sculpture in the 6th arrondissement of Paris that depicts two nude figures standing side by side. The work shows the classical style of French sculpture from the late 19th century.
Gustave Crauck's marble Twilight was commissioned for the Jardin des Grands Explorateurs, laid out in 1867 by Jean-Charles Alphand and Adolphe Alphand during Haussmann's transformation of Paris. The garden sits above the RER line from Luxembourg to Port-Royal. Crauck, a pupil of François Jouffroy, carved the figure as one of four allegories of the times of day.
Twilight is one of four allegorical figures by Gustave Crauck placed in the Jardin des Grands Explorateurs, each named for a part of the day. The group was commissioned for the garden laid out by Jean-Charles Alphand under Haussmann's renovation of Paris. Visitors can compare the four marbles and see how the sculptor varied pose and drapery to mark dawn, midday, dusk and night.
Twilight stands in the Jardin des Grands Explorateurs, the garden that runs along the Boulevard du Montparnasse between the Luxembourg and Port-Royal areas. The garden is open daily and free to enter; the nearest metro stops are Notre-Dame-des-Champs and Port-Royal. The sculpture is set among the garden's lawns and paths, so it can be viewed on foot at any hour the garden is open.
The sculpture is part of a group of four statues in the garden, each representing a different time of day and forming a connected artistic concept. Together they tell a larger visual story about the passage of time.
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