Nautilus 1963

Fabio de Sanctis made this sculpture, Nautilus, from what looks to be a dense, dark wood, coaxing the material into surprisingly supple forms. It's fascinating how he takes a solid block and teases out these almost flowing, organic shapes. You can see the grain of the wood telling its own story, swirling and bending with the curves of the sculpture. It's as if he's not imposing a form but discovering something already latent within the wood itself. The edges are sharp and angular but then they soften into these gentle, undulating surfaces. It's like a conversation between the geometric and the organic, a dance between control and surrender. The piece calls to mind Brancusi's work, but with a more grounded, earthy feel. It reminds us that art is just a long, ongoing game of call and response. It's not about having all the answers, but about asking the right questions and embracing the beautiful ambiguity along the way.