Cardinale 1985

This is Giacomo Manzu's 'Cardinale,' made, I presume, from marble, though I would need to touch it to be sure. The smooth, pale surface gives it a cool, almost austere presence. There’s something about the simple, geometric forms—the cone, the cylinder—that feels both modern and ancient. Look at the base, its rough texture almost like a geological stratum, grounding the figure. Then, there’s that face, so subtly rendered, emerging from the smooth planes of the sculpture, seemingly deep in thought. It reminds me a little of Brancusi, in its reduction to essential forms, but with a touch more humanism, a hint of vulnerability. Manzu’s work always has this tension between the abstract and the figurative, the sacred and the profane. It’s about finding a balance. A conversation between forms, and between the past and the present.