Nymph and Satyr 1945

Reuben Nakian made this sculpture, Nymph and Satyr, and you can see the artist's hand right there in the clay, can't you? I imagine him, wrestling with the form, pushing and pulling, until these figures emerge. There’s something so primal about the way he’s handled the material – thick, gloppy layers, gestures that feel almost urgent. It's pure instinct and physicality. The satyr's arm jutting out, almost like an unfinished thought, really gets me. What was Nakian trying to express there? You know, it reminds me of some of de Kooning’s sculptures—that same willingness to leave things raw, unresolved. There’s this beautiful tension between control and chance, like he’s letting the material lead the way. We’re all just riffing off each other, trying to figure out this crazy thing called art, you know?