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Eloquence, Elegance, and Essence
In physics, Albert Einstein, exactly 100 years ago, presented a paper describing a special theory of relativity. His joy was the capacity to achieve in a simple form a concept that would revolutionize our idea of the universe: E=mc2. The theory states, in his own words: “…mass and energy are both but different manifestations of the same thing—a somewhat unfamiliar conception for the average mind. Furthermore, the equation E is equal to m c-squared, in which energy is put equal to mass, multiplied by the square of the velocity of light, showed that very small amounts of mass may be converted into a very large amount of energy and vice versa. The mass and energy were in fact equivalent, according to the formula mentioned above.”
Often in sculpture, we look at works of art in which simplicity seems so facile and yet is devastatingly unattainable. The Cycladic funerary statuettes—stylized slabs with a protruding shape for a nose indicating a face—are often imitated in modern times, but recent artists are never successful in capturing them anew. If we look at Tino di Camaino’s work, such as the Bishop of Florence, Antonio d’Orso, it seems a simple task to copy or convey its feeling, and yet we have never seen anything like it. Is it the proportions, the skill in execution? Our technology, tools, etc., are far superior nowadays; however, we are left only to surrender to the original expression of elegance, eloquence, and essence.
In architecture, a pyramidal shape seems simple to obtain. However, the Egyptians made their funerary sites—pyramids—a wonder of wonders. Brunelleschi’s octagonal concept for the Dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence made his contemporaries wary and skeptical, doubting whether the project would ever work. It was built upon a herringbone, patterned masonry work, such as was used on the Roman Pantheon, and with a double shell, self-supporting technique that was free from scaffolding. It remains one of the largest domes ever built, and is still bearing, under its weight of 27,000 tons, secrets of its craftsmanship.
To conclude, each era has its own time, space, and...“matter” that shapes its creation and never repeats. Simplicity is not obtained merely by stripping down everything that may be a subordinate or decorative element. Rather, it is an expression of eloquence, elegance, and essence that a concept or a line or a form might give us, in my point of view.
Giancarlo Biagi
Sculpture Review Magazine
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