Ram c. early 20th century

This “Ram” sculpture, by an unknown Dogon artist, stands as a totem of artful resourcefulness. The reddish-brown color and texture suggest that it was forged from iron. Imagine the artist, coaxing this form from hard metal, coaxing the ram to come alive. It reminds me of sculptors like Julio Gonzalez and Picasso, or even Giacometti, who embraced unconventional materials and techniques. There’s something so direct about the way the artist rendered the animal's anatomy, with its elongated neck, hollowed-out head and stick-like legs. The metal has a raw, almost primal quality, like a fossil excavated from the earth. The legs have an almost comical stance, too, making this metal ram seem like its walking straight out of the artist's imagination. This artist and others, like them, remind us that art is an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across cultures, with each participant inspiring the next.