Constantin Brâncuși Romanian, French (1876–1957)
Constantin Brancusi 1923, Bird in Space, Marble (144.1 x 16.5 cm) (with base) © 2020 Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York [Sculpture] At: https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/486757 (Accessed 26.05.2020)
French Romanian origin Brancusi used simple forms brought to the logic of particular ideas or concepts. What is of direct interest in the works of Brancusi is his national identity away from his homeland. He translated the motives of Romanian folklore into objects for study. And these objects he turns in sculpture. Choosing only one subject, he could work on it for years. Translating this subject into various materials and improving the form. He worked with the so-called traditional materials of the time - granite, wood, steel. Woodwork refers to his childhood and youth when he cut wooden crafts with a knife.
It makes me think, what is important for me in my culture, what can I bring to what I do? After all, I miss my homeland incredibly. I miss my family, open spaces without a single soul, winter with its frosts, sauerkraut and people. Yes, probably people are an expression of this difference. People are different. They are closed, grey, do not smile, but they are incredibly cordial. Hopelessness and inaction also become a good definition of the situation in Russia for me.
This is the concept of a "little man" developed by Pushkin, Gogol, Dostoevsky, Chekhov and many others. But it seems to me that the Russians are stuck in this state and cannot step over it. They chase after Europe and try to be friends of Asia, but do not plan to develop their own unique path. The search for this identification as a whole, it seems to me, is very important for the formation of one's own voice in art.
Brancusi used material and some topics from his own history; let's see what I can do? Domes?
Kasimir Malevich (1879–1935)
Kazimir Malevich, Architekton Gota (Arkitekton Gota), 1923 Plaster, 85.3 x 56 x 52.5 cm. Russian State Museum, St. Petersburg [Sculpture] At: https://www.guggenheim-bilbao.eus/en/exhibitions/archisculpture (Accessed 30.05.2020)
Kazimir Malevich, [Sculpture, drawings] http://socks-studio.com/2015/07/15/kazimir-malevichs-arkhitektons/ (Accessed 30.05.2020)
Malevich is for me a teacher in painting. To simplify all the possibilities and come to "0" - only a genius could do that.
In sculptural works, Malevich was influenced by that time and style. Today, his work looks hard to me. The material used in the work is simple, and the form is not original. But on the other hand, this is a good material to get started and rethink our current state in sculpture.
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