The First Cry 1917

"The First Cry," a 1917 sculpture by Constantin Brâncuși, is an abstract work carved from wood that displays the Romanian artist’s mastery of form and minimalism. The sculpture’s subject is a simple, ovoid shape resting on a tall, geometric base, but through the use of negative space, the work evokes a sense of movement and energy, as if the ovoid is ascending from the base in a primal act of birth. The abstract composition and stripped-down form are characteristic of Brâncuși’s later work, which sought to reduce subjects to their essential forms and explore the essence of sculpture.