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“When Nature begins to reveal her open secret to a man, he feels an irresistible longing for her worthiest interpreter, Art” - JW Goethe In its gently moving convex and concave, and in the rhythmic character of the column, one sees a complete form with its own meaning. Brancusi’s work is often referred to as “reductionist,” which means simplifying or reducing a complex form. Instead of this minimalist framework, his approach may be viewed as purely spiritual in nature, as searching for the essence of form. In the Romanian tradition, richly hand-carved gates are highly detailed and ornate, but if you look closely, you'll find that the elements they're made of are simple. He transformed tradition into unique abstract art by finding in his craft the building blocks to embody his inspiration – the archetype of the column. Pioneer of Modernist Abstraction Brancusi sought the inner nature of things. The stylized cockerel, for example, is represented by its crest as the essential part of its being, doing away with other natural details. It is a simple form, but more importantly, it reveals the cockerel’s nature even more than a naturalistic copy would. “What is real is not the external form, but the essence of things... it is impossible for anyone to express anything essentially real by imitating its exterior surface.” – Brancusi Brancusi's work pushed boundaries of what was recognized as art at a time when figurative art was favored. The US customs handling his imported works at the time classified them as “utilitarian objects.” Today we take abstract work for granted, but at his time it had to be defended and distinguished. Eventually, it was accepted that visual art doesn't have to resemble the physical world to be classified as art; however, the artist does fashion materials around a real form they conceive in their minds: “Things are not difficult to make; what is difficult is putting ourselves in the state of mind to make them.” – Brancusi Brancusi stayed with a limited number of forms and perfected them over time. Brancusi pushed many boundaries of form, representation, culture, and definitions while respecting the limits of the medium and materials with which he worked.
The Column of Infinity by Brancusi Brancusi began experimenting with endless columns in 1918. The Column of Infinity, cast iron modules clad in brass, has a height of 98 feet. The symbolism of infinity and transcendence in Brancusi's work - how the rhythmic, repeating rhomboid modules create a visual sense of endlessness. The artist himself states: "The Column of the Infinite expresses... the sentiment of infinity, having the vault of the sky above." For Brancusi, the sculpture wasn't merely an object but a metaphysical experience—a ladder between the material and spiritual worlds. The precisely calculated rhomboid modules—each a perfect geometric form—represent harmony and cosmic order. They create a rhythmic pattern that expands and contracts yet remains proportionally consistent. By creating a physical representation of the infinite, Brancusi invites contemplation of our own mortality against the backdrop of cosmic eternity. The Column stands as a meditation on how the finite human experience relates to infinite time and space.
Art Observation of Constantin Brâncuși's “Endless Column,” 1918, in 4 Stages Physical Characteristics The Column is a thin wooden piece, about 2m tall, consisting of eight truncated pyramids, which repeat the right-way round and upside down. Each pyramid is 25cm tall. The sculpture is symmetrical, dark brown, with rounded corners, and a pattern of long and short lines across the rhomboid widths. Four hourglass shapes can be seen in the form, creating a jagged outline.
Energy Characteristics It starts and ends with an expansion at the top and bottom, zigzagging up and down the form. The intentional detail of leaving above and below open rather than ending in a point reveals infinity. Having expansion lead to expansion represents continuance and makes the limitless real. / Regular long short rhythm (Dactyl) Unbinding and Binding, endlessly. Steadily flowing downwards, catching itself at regular intervals. Soft angles bring subtle movement.
Feeling Characteristics The Column’s seemingly endless upward trajectory invites the viewer's eye and spirit to follow along the journey of ascension. Upright, Timelessness, Lightning/Zeus, Fast, Mercurial. / Containment and subtle flow; Sophisticated, just, and truthful; Exacting, unforgiving, responsible
Essence and Identity The Column draws inspiration from traditional wooden funerary pillars (known as "stâlpi de pridvor") found in Romanian villages. These funerary pillars, often adorned with rhomboid patterns similar to those on the Column, symbolically connected the earth to the heavens and served as a pathway for the soul's ascension after death.
References
1. Biography of Constantin Brancusi https://www.thoughtco.com/constantin-brancusi-4771871 2. Biography Carl Andre Minimalist Sculpture https://www.thoughtco.com/biography-of-carl-andre-minimalist-american-sculptor-4797949 3. Brancusi, A Study of the Sculpture by Albert Elsen 4. Constantin Brancusi: A New Kind of Form https://magazine.artland.com/boundary-breaking-sculptors-of-the-20th-century-brancusis-radically-reductive-sculptures/ 5. Brancusi: The Sculptor of the Essence https://www.museemusings.com/blog/brancusi-the-sculptor-of-the-essence |
