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Lot Essay
Reaching nearly two and a half meters in height, Colonna is a monumental sculpture by Arnaldo Pomodoro. Created in bronze and coated in a dazzling gold patina, the upper and lower areas of Colonna are smooth and shiny, whilst the outer layer appears to have been peeled away in the central section, like a tree shedding its bark. This action has exposed rows and rows of contrasting geometric shapes, a mélange of form that could refer to modern industrial or electrical equipment, but conversely could also be visually aligned to the narrative low relief of classical columns, such as Trajan’s Column in Rome. In this way, Colonna demonstrates the artist’s proactive and progressive engagement with inherited classical ideas and modern technology, uniting them to create a stunning visual impact.
Colonna demonstrates Pomodoro’s exploration of three-dimensional forms that began in the 1960s. The artist said ‘I knew I had to move from relief to a bit more solid sculptural presence in my first curved columns. Actually, I think I had already achieved some integration of solid geometric form and 'the sign' in my reliefs. However, I knew that I had to make signs much larger in order to become more plastic.’ (A. Pomodoro quoted in S. Hunter, Arnaldo Pomodoro, New York 1982, p. 52). From his first arrival at this singular form that defiantly and purposefully takes up its own space, he continued to move away from bas-relief, producing free-standing cubes and spheres. The art historian Sam Hunter writes that ‘he deliberately sought out oppositions between the ancient and contemporary, mechanistic and organic’ to analyse what he called the ‘eternal verities’ of yesterday and today (S. Hunter, ‘Monuments and Anti-Monuments’ in Arnaldo Pomodoro, Italy 2007). It was the column that marked his true artistic emergence as it was the form of his first free-standing sculptures, and earned him further recognition for his unique engagement with fundamental geometric shapes. As such, he has continuously returned to this form, producing the present work in 1989, relishing in its inheritance from and its participation in the potent symbolism of ancient forms.
Colonna demonstrates Pomodoro’s exploration of three-dimensional forms that began in the 1960s. The artist said ‘I knew I had to move from relief to a bit more solid sculptural presence in my first curved columns. Actually, I think I had already achieved some integration of solid geometric form and 'the sign' in my reliefs. However, I knew that I had to make signs much larger in order to become more plastic.’ (A. Pomodoro quoted in S. Hunter, Arnaldo Pomodoro, New York 1982, p. 52). From his first arrival at this singular form that defiantly and purposefully takes up its own space, he continued to move away from bas-relief, producing free-standing cubes and spheres. The art historian Sam Hunter writes that ‘he deliberately sought out oppositions between the ancient and contemporary, mechanistic and organic’ to analyse what he called the ‘eternal verities’ of yesterday and today (S. Hunter, ‘Monuments and Anti-Monuments’ in Arnaldo Pomodoro, Italy 2007). It was the column that marked his true artistic emergence as it was the form of his first free-standing sculptures, and earned him further recognition for his unique engagement with fundamental geometric shapes. As such, he has continuously returned to this form, producing the present work in 1989, relishing in its inheritance from and its participation in the potent symbolism of ancient forms.