Eighteen sculptures by Giuseppe Penone are on display in the gardens of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. The life-size bronze trees are scattered among benches, flowers and leafy trees. There are no differences between them. Time has left its marks on their skin: the scar of a lightning, a trunk broken in two, a fallen branch. Penone, Italian sculptor who lives and works in Turin, has made these marks eternal not in pain and destruction but in the constant change and reinvention of nature. Golden brushstrokes heal and brighten the wounds of the lightning, thin branches support the broken trunk that is not abandoned or forgotten, while strong branches support a curious trunk whose roots grow on top of it.
Bark, trunks, branches and exposed roots but neither leaves nor flowers. Yet, these trees are alive. What else could be those boulders blooming on the branches or, already withered, lying on the grass if not flowers?
Bark, trunks, branches and exposed roots but neither leaves nor flowers. Yet, these trees are alive. What else could be those boulders blooming on the branches or, already withered, lying on the grass if not flowers?
Penone has been exploring the relationship between man and nature since 1968, experimenting different languages. Here in Amsterdam, he works with wood, marble and bronze to reveal the shape of nature. He planted trees among trees to remind us of its strength.
Photos:
TravelinaGarden, Amsterdam, June 2016
Links:
Penone in Rijksmuseum gardens, Amsterdam
10 June - 2 October 2016
