Bird in Space 1923

Constantin Brâncuși made this Bird in Space out of bronze, which he then polished to a gleam. Imagine him there in his studio, wrestling with form, trying to capture something as elusive as flight. What does it feel like to hold that tension, to smooth and refine until the essence of a bird soaring is right there in front of you? It’s not a bird, not really. It’s more like the feeling of a bird, its upward thrust. And the way Brâncuși has pared everything down, you know, smoothed every surface, it’s like he’s chasing some kind of Platonic ideal of a bird. Or maybe it’s just a metaphor for the soul taking flight. I don't know. Anyway, artists are always pinching ideas off each other, riffing on what came before. Brâncuși was inspired by, and inspired many others, to think about the magic of simplicity. It’s all one big conversation, this art thing.