Blue skies and sweeping sculpture

Lest I give the wrong impression that it is always gray and rainy in Milan, here's...More......

...a snap of a not particularly lovely public monument, taken from its good side presenting a sweep against a gorgeous blue sky, not unlike what promises to develop, today.

For me, this modern stuff only starts to grow on me (a bit) if I learn something about it, so here goes, in case it's helpful for you, too:

The sculptor was Francesco Somaini (1926-2005) of Como, who, after a 1950s Cubist period, began, between 1962-1964, to develop a (admittedly fascinating) technique of pelting wax, or clay, models with sand mixed in compressed air, in order to give his works a more organic feel, and to get away from the (Michelangelesque) traditional approach of sculpting as a medium of removing bits to get to the figure imprisoned within the block of material.



Pretty sad years for Italian art, though, in my opinion: ugly was pursued, the uglier the better. They must have been working through bad war memories and experiences and the shock of the post-war period.

The sculpture, vigorous and ungainly depending on the point-of-view, is dedicated to Italian sailors, and is located in the same-named park on Corso XXII Marzo.

Knowing that it was dedicated to sailors made me think of a ripped and viciously flapping sail, a sad reminder of deaths at sea. Then, looking at it more closely, it also reminded me think of the Nike in the Louvre, complete with wings.

If you read Italian, see http://www.scultura-italiana.com/Biografie/Somaini.htm.

I took these shots on March 21, 2009, at 4:30 P.M.