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拍品专文
Created in 1966, Sfera con perforazione is an early example of Arnaldo Pomodoro's sculpted spheres. This was a group of works begun only three years earlier, yet had already gained international recognition, featuring in a number of exhibitions and even a documentary made by the filmmaker Giulio Cingoli. The previous year, Pomodoro had even appeared in Time Magazine, where he had explained that, 'For me, the sphere is a perfect, almost magical form. Then you try to break the surface, go inside and give life to the form' (Pomodoro, quoted in 'Sculpture: Dissatisfied Aristotle', Time Magazine, 3 December 1965, reproduced online at content.time.com). In Sfera con perforazione, it is clear that Pomodoro has succeeded in this: the innards of the sphere appear almost organic, as do the 'erosions' which seem to have cut away at the gleaming, mirror-like surface.
This work reveals the influence of - and riposte to - the legacy of Constantin Brancusi, whose works Pomodoro had seen in the Museum of Modern Art, New York, just over half a decade earlier. In Sfera con perforazione, the sheen and idealism of Brancusi's forms has been punctured, bringing out another quality through the various elements that are glimpsed in the interior. This is a type of substitute for writing or mark-making that resembles circuitry and that also allows Pomodoro to explore the nature of form through its presence and its absence: teeth bite into the void that has been seemingly etched out of this pristine globe.
In 1966, the year that Pomodoro created Sfera con perforazione, he was invited to be artist in residence at Stanford University. While there, he was exposed to the wonders of science and technology that were being pioneered. In some cases, these appeared to hint at the notion that Pomodoro's earlier works were a form of self-fulfilling prophecy. For instance, he was brought pieces of early IBM circuitry by some of the students which he realised resembled his own works (see S. Hunter, 'Monuments and Anti-monuments', pp. 57-77, F. Gualdoni (ed.), Arnaldo Pomodoro: Catalogo ragionato della sculptura, Vol. I, Milan, 2007, p. 73). His relationship with technology, especially in the nuclear age and against the backdrop of the Cold War, with the spectre of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) looming menacingly, brought about a shift in his relationship with these advances. 'I am fascinated by technology and machines, even though I do not know how to use them,' he explained. 'I was really overwhelmed by the laser reactor I first saw in action at Stanford University in 1966, because I realised that in the long run it is the scientists who have the power to discover the mysteries of life and matter. After that experience it took me a long time to get over a crisis regarding the meaning of my work' (Pomodoro, quoted in S. Hunter, 'Monuments and Anti-monuments', pp. 57-77, F. Gualdoni (ed.), Arnaldo Pomodoro: Catalogo ragionato della sculptura, Vol. I, Milan, 2007, p. 59).
This work reveals the influence of - and riposte to - the legacy of Constantin Brancusi, whose works Pomodoro had seen in the Museum of Modern Art, New York, just over half a decade earlier. In Sfera con perforazione, the sheen and idealism of Brancusi's forms has been punctured, bringing out another quality through the various elements that are glimpsed in the interior. This is a type of substitute for writing or mark-making that resembles circuitry and that also allows Pomodoro to explore the nature of form through its presence and its absence: teeth bite into the void that has been seemingly etched out of this pristine globe.
In 1966, the year that Pomodoro created Sfera con perforazione, he was invited to be artist in residence at Stanford University. While there, he was exposed to the wonders of science and technology that were being pioneered. In some cases, these appeared to hint at the notion that Pomodoro's earlier works were a form of self-fulfilling prophecy. For instance, he was brought pieces of early IBM circuitry by some of the students which he realised resembled his own works (see S. Hunter, 'Monuments and Anti-monuments', pp. 57-77, F. Gualdoni (ed.), Arnaldo Pomodoro: Catalogo ragionato della sculptura, Vol. I, Milan, 2007, p. 73). His relationship with technology, especially in the nuclear age and against the backdrop of the Cold War, with the spectre of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) looming menacingly, brought about a shift in his relationship with these advances. 'I am fascinated by technology and machines, even though I do not know how to use them,' he explained. 'I was really overwhelmed by the laser reactor I first saw in action at Stanford University in 1966, because I realised that in the long run it is the scientists who have the power to discover the mysteries of life and matter. After that experience it took me a long time to get over a crisis regarding the meaning of my work' (Pomodoro, quoted in S. Hunter, 'Monuments and Anti-monuments', pp. 57-77, F. Gualdoni (ed.), Arnaldo Pomodoro: Catalogo ragionato della sculptura, Vol. I, Milan, 2007, p. 59).