Daphne 1958

Ossip Zadkine made this bronze sculpture of Daphne and you can tell he’s interested in process; nothing is hidden. The tactile quality of the bronze is incredible, the surfaces are really worked. Patches of dark and light across the sculpture give it an organic feel, like it’s been growing slowly over time. Zadkine uses negative space, the holes in the bronze, to create a real sense of drama. Look at the hands, how they seem to be morphing into branches. It is such a delicate transformation. Zadkine really captures the agony and the ecstasy of metamorphosis; you can see her fighting it. I am reminded of Giacometti, another sculptor who knew how to give bronze a life of its own. In the end, Daphne is the kind of sculpture that reminds us that art is an ongoing conversation across time.