Peines del Viento 1977

These sculptures are part of Eduardo Chillida's "Peines del Viento," or "Wind Combs." The rusty iron against the craggy rocks and open sea creates a raw, elemental experience. Chillida's work marries material and place. The twisting forms aren't merely representational; they embody a dialogue with the Basque landscape. Consider the texture of the iron: its roughness and color. It isn't polished or refined but allowed to age and merge with its surroundings. Chillida isn't just placing sculpture in nature; he's making sculpture *about* nature, about the enduring forces of wind and sea that shape the land. The semiotic system at play uses iron—a material of industry and permanence—to speak about time and transience. Through these forms, Chillida opens a space for meditation, a place to consider our relationship to the environment. The forms are like questions hanging in the air, demanding a response.