Girafe 

Editor: This bronze sculpture is titled "Girafe" and it's by François Pompon. There’s something really striking about its smooth surface and elegant simplicity. What do you see in this piece? Curator: What do *I* see? Well, immediately I see the ghost of Brancusi! That distillation of form, the almost Zen-like reduction to essential lines. Pompon, though, brings his own whimsy. It's as if he's whispering, "Remember the joy of the zoo?" Have you ever felt the texture of bronze, Editor? Editor: Yes! It’s cool to the touch, usually, and substantial. Here it looks very smooth though! Curator: Exactly! Pompon has polished away almost all the 'animalness' of the giraffe. Yet, paradoxically, its essence, its 'Giraffe-itude' – that goofy, gentle height – is magnified. Isn’t that funny? That absence can create presence? Editor: That’s a cool way of looking at it! It reminds me a bit of abstracting an idea to find what’s truly central to it. I’d never considered it like *increasing* something by *removing*! Curator: Precisely! Art's little secret: less can often unlock more. Next time you are struggling with an essay try removing words to make a stronger message. A great way to view a lot of modern sculpture actually, stripping away the inessential to reveal the inherent. Editor: Thank you so much, Curator, that was so helpful. Now I can see there's more than one way to approach "Girafe". Curator: My pleasure. Always question everything...especially giraffes!