Well of Life 1905

Ivan Mestrovic made this sculpture, the Well of Life, out of bronze. The figures have a subtle patina which is reminiscent of a painter’s glazing technique, where colour is gradually built up in layers. You can see that the modelling of the figures isn't about smoothing things over, it’s about the touch of the hand building the form. Look at how these figures are pressed against each other, each dependent on the other. The process of making art is like that too, you know. You start with a single mark, and then another, and another, until the whole thing gains its own momentum. I love the way the arms and legs of the figures entwine, and the backs are all so individual! Mestrovic's figures are in conversation with Rodin's work, or maybe Maillol, but he’s also doing his own thing, his own way. I think art should always be an embrace of ambiguity. What do you see here?