Early 20^th-century French master Aristide Maillol is viewed as the most influential sculptor in the generation following Auguste Rodin. Unlike the expressive forms of the latter, Maillol achieved a new classicism inspired by the pose and attitude of Greco-Roman sculpture and, innovatively, the sensuality of Indian sculpture. Many of his works utilize the female nude in symbolic or allegorical ways.

Torso of Summer is part of a series celebrating the four seasons. Specifically, the rounded forms of the figure reference the fullness of summer.