Triton 1913

This sculpture of Triton, by Ludwig Manzel, presents a scene frozen in stone, a kind of mythological snapshot, where we see a figure, half man, half fish, astride a fantastical sea creature. The materiality of the piece is key here; it's rough and unpolished, which gives it a certain immediacy. The gestures are big and the anatomy is exaggerated. I find myself wondering about the tools Manzel used; the marks seem so deliberate, as if each cut and carve was a conversation between the artist and the stone. It’s like Manzel isn’t just depicting a scene, but also showing us the very act of creation, the physicality of shaping this myth out of solid matter. Triton feels related to some of Picasso's sculptures. Both artists share an interest in the mythological and a commitment to the act of making. Ultimately, the beauty of art lies in its ability to evoke multiple responses, to exist in a state of perpetual ambiguity, where meaning is not fixed but fluid.