David of Sassoun 1959

Yervand Kochar cast this bronze sculpture of David of Sassoun, likely sometime in the mid-20th century. See how the sculptor embraces the dark, almost muddy quality of the bronze, letting it drip and pool in the folds of the fabric and musculature? It gives the work a feeling of both ancient history and immediacy. I love the tension between the highly polished areas and those left rough and unfinished. Take the horse’s head, for instance—the way it rears back, nostrils flared, mane wild. You can almost feel the sculptor’s hand, pressing and prodding the clay, building up the form bit by bit. Then notice David himself, how his figure is smoothed and burnished, a symbol of heroic strength and resolve. This piece reminds me a little of Rodin, particularly his bronzes—that same love of texture, the way light catches on the surface, bringing the work to life. Art is a conversation across time, isn’t it? A constant exchange of ideas, a dance between tradition and innovation.