Giuseppe Penone’s hand can squeeze trees as it is so strong. This is about a bronze sculpture of a hand. In 1968, this Italian artist installed it onto a tree in Nasher Sculpture Center, Dallas. Even though after many decades have passed, it’s even more spectacular.
The “Continuerà a crescere tranne che in quel punto” (“It Will Continue to Grow Except at this Point”) was made from a cast of the artist’s actual hand and lower arm. After Giuseppe attached in onto a sapling, the tree would thicken around the metal throughout the years. After many years, it looks like that hand is stretching the bark with its fingers.
Penone wrote in 1968, “I feel the forest breathing, and hear the slow, inexorable growth of the wood. I match my breathing to that of the green world around me, I feel the flow of the tree around my hand placed against the trunk.” It’s really difficult to say what impact the metal will have on the tree in the long run. The contrast between organic wood and cold metal is really awesome.
Giuseppe Penone started this project in 1968
This bronze sculpture was made from a cast of the artist’s actual hand
And he’s still gripping!
(h/t: juxtapoz)
