Walking Man II 1960

Alberto Giacometti made Walking Man II in bronze, and, you know, the way the surface is worked, it feels like a painting. The whole piece is about process, that building up and taking away. Look closely, and you can see how the texture is rough and uneven. It’s not smooth or polished but seems almost eroded. The bronze has a dark, almost crusty surface, like layers have been added and subtracted, giving it a sense of time and fragility. Take a look at the feet, they're planted on this thick base that contrasts with the figure's leanness. It's as if the base is anchoring him to reality, while the rest of him is dissolving into the air. It makes you wonder, what does it mean to be present? What does it mean to keep going? Giacometti’s work reminds me a little bit of Medardo Rosso's sculptures, where the figure seems to emerge from a hazy, indefinite space. Like Rosso, Giacometti embraced the ambiguity and the unfinished, understanding that art is a process of ongoing exploration.