GENERAL DESCRIPTION
In his sculptures, Constantin Brancusi relied on a relatively narrow range of identifiable objects—eggs, heads, birds, and columns— which he reduced to simple, abstract shapes. By paring down his forms and materials to their most basic essence, Brancusi sought to give expression to abstract spiritual themes and philosophical issues. The smooth marble ovoid is delicately balanced on a polished metal disc, which in turn rests on a cruciform stone base. These simple geometric shapes, in combination with the work’s title, give rise to a surprising range of figurative associations, from a severed head on a platter, to an egg on a plate, to the compact body of a newborn baby on a birthing dish. The sculpture evokes sensations of both gravity and weightlessness, both centeredness and asymmetry. The reflection of the marble ovoid in the metal disc creates the illusion that it floats slightly above the rough stone base supporting these objects. Brancusi’s sober reexamination of the basics of sculpture, the essence of its materials, and the subtle relationship of object to base, constitute his crucial contribution to 20th-century sculpture.
Adapted from
- Dorothy Kosinski, DMA label copy.
- Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Beginning of the World," Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 256.
- Heather MacDonald, DMA label copy, 2010.
NOTES
Created c. 1920
Checked Piction
TMS Done
Constantin Brancusi seemed obsessed with the ovoid as an expression of metaphysical and spiritual reality. It is the egg, a pure form, the Cosmic Egg, almost miraculously floating on the mirror-like surface of the metal disk. Compare this sculpture to these comments from poets and thinkers.
“In the beginning was Non-Being. It became Being. It grew and became an egg. It rested for a whole year and then cracked apart. Two pieces of eggshell appeared, one of gold, one of silver. The silver fragment became the earth; the golden fragment became the sky. The outer membrane became the mountains; the inner membrane became the clouds and mists; veins became rivers; waters became the ocean.”
— Chandogya Upanishad (ancient Hindu sacred literature), 7th-6th century B.C.
“O Brancusi, with your chisels and hammers, birds going to cones, skulls going to eggs—how the hope hugs your heart you will find a cone, one egg, so hard when the earth turns mist there among the last to go will be a cone, an egg.”
— Carl Sandburg, Slabs of the Sunburnt West, 1922
The Dogmatic Egg
The barren egg has now become
The food of saddened peoples
But the egg of life is the fecund source
Of inward solitary knowing.
— Ion Barbu, “Oul dogmatic,” Joc Secund, 1930
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Paris (France): TGN: 7008038
Process/materials
Marble, nickel silver, and stone
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
IMAGE ASSETS
WEB RESOURCES
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York~View another important work by Brancusi titled Bird in Space.
- Guggenheim, New York~Learn more about the life and work of Brancusi from the Guggenheim.
- Tate, London~Check out a similar work by Brancusi titled Fish at the Tate.
ARCHIVAL RESOURCES
FUN FACTS
- American poet Carl Sandburg wrote a piece titled "Brancusi" in his 1922 poetry collection Slabs of the Sunburt West. A quote from it reads "O Brancusi, with your chisels and hammers, birds going to cones, skulls going to eggs—how the hope hugs your heart you will find a cone, one egg, so hard when the earth turns mist there among the last to go will be a cone, an egg.”
TEACHING IDEAS
RULES
Apply to objects where number equals 1977.51.FA
Category
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General Description
In his sculptures, Constantin Brancusi relied on a relatively narrow range of identifiable objects—eggs, heads, birds, and columns— which he reduced to simple, abstract shapes. By paring down his forms and materials to their most basic essence, Brancusi sought to give expression to abstract spiritual themes and philosophical issues. The smooth marble ovoid is delicately balanced on a polished metal disc, which in turn rests on a cruciform stone base. These simple geometric shapes, in combination with the work’s title, give rise to a surprising range of figurative associations, from a severed head on a platter, to an egg on a plate, to the compact body of a newborn baby on a birthing dish. The sculpture evokes sensations of both gravity and weightlessness, both centeredness and asymmetry. The reflection of the marble ovoid in the metal disc creates the illusion that it floats slightly above the rough stone base supporting these objects. Brancusi’s sober reexamination of the basics of sculpture, the essence of its materials, and the subtle relationship of object to base, constitute his crucial contribution to 20th-century sculpture.
Adapted from
- Dorothy Kosinski, DMA label copy.
- Bonnie Pitman, ed., "Beginning of the World," Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2012), 256.
- Heather MacDonald, DMA label copy, 2010.
Fun Facts
- American poet Carl Sandburg wrote a piece titled "Brancusi" in his 1922 poetry collection Slabs of the Sunburt West. A quote from it reads "O Brancusi, with your chisels and hammers, birds going to cones, skulls going to eggs—how the hope hugs your heart you will find a cone, one egg, so hard when the earth turns mist there among the last to go will be a cone, an egg.”
Archival Resources
Web Resources
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York~View another important work by Brancusi titled Bird in Space.
- Guggenheim, New York~Learn more about the life and work of Brancusi from the Guggenheim.
- Tate, London~Check out a similar work by Brancusi titled Fish at the Tate.
Notes
Created c. 1920
Checked Piction
TMS Done
Constantin Brancusi seemed obsessed with the ovoid as an expression of metaphysical and spiritual reality. It is the egg, a pure form, the Cosmic Egg, almost miraculously floating on the mirror-like surface of the metal disk. Compare this sculpture to these comments from poets and thinkers.
“In the beginning was Non-Being. It became Being. It grew and became an egg. It rested for a whole year and then cracked apart. Two pieces of eggshell appeared, one of gold, one of silver. The silver fragment became the earth; the golden fragment became the sky. The outer membrane became the mountains; the inner membrane became the clouds and mists; veins became rivers; waters became the ocean.”
— Chandogya Upanishad (ancient Hindu sacred literature), 7th-6th century B.C.
“O Brancusi, with your chisels and hammers, birds going to cones, skulls going to eggs—how the hope hugs your heart you will find a cone, one egg, so hard when the earth turns mist there among the last to go will be a cone, an egg.”
— Carl Sandburg, Slabs of the Sunburnt West, 1922
The Dogmatic Egg
The barren egg has now become
The food of saddened peoples
But the egg of life is the fecund source
Of inward solitary knowing.
— Ion Barbu, “Oul dogmatic,” Joc Secund, 1930
Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Place of origin: Paris (France): TGN: 7008038
Process/materials
Marble, nickel silver, and stone
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
RELATED OBJECTS
PROVENANCE
AUDIO ASSETS
VIDEO ASSETS
rules
Apply To
Objects
number
Equals
1977.51.FA
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object_notes_2_c-0128.xml.nores