The Sphinx: A Short Film About the Crafting of a Monumental Work

Montreal, October 12, 2017 — Internationally acclaimed painter and sculptor Jean Pronovost’s short film The Sphinx premieres on Thursday, October 26 at Phi Centre. Directed by Martin McKay and narrated by actor Guy Nadon, this short film takes us through the creative journey that brought to life the titular sculpture in all of its evocative power. In addition to being the subject of the film, the actual sculpture will be on site for the audience to admire, along with the artist’s brand new sculpture: The Bacchante.

During his travels in Europe, Pronovost was able to take in many different representations of the Sphinx. This inspired him to take the ancient features of this important, millennia-old symbolic mythological figure—which was regarded as the guardian of Ancient Egypt—and give them a modern twist. The Sphinx is shown pinning down a massive man representing contemporary society’s greed. The man is holding in his right hand a gold bar that he stole from the public treasury, and a gavel in his left hand. He is pinned down against an open safe that, as a symbol of the public treasury, has been looted. Standing as a symbol of hope here, the Sphinx successfully restrains the excesses of human folly.