Constantin Brancusi

Constantin Brancusi, Monument Ensemble at Tirgu Jiu, 1937, sculpture. (Gate of Kiss, Table of Silence, Endless Column)

What you need to know about the artist and the artworks?:

Historical Context: Brancusi was a restless soul. At the age of 11, he ran away from home to Targu-Jiu, an out of the way place that is not easily accessible. This is important, as it was a sort of haven for Brancusi.

Years later in 1937-1938 Brancusi constructs the Monument Ensemble at Tirgu Jiu, which consists of the Table of Silence, Gate of Kiss, and the Endless Column.

Artist’s Inspiration: The entire Monument Ensemble is an homage to the fallen heroes of WWI.

Table of Silence is representative of the table that soldiers confer at before a battle. The seats are shaped like hourglasses to symbolize the passage of time.

Gate of Kiss symbolizes the passage of soldiers from this life to the next. The motif on the pillars (the detail that you see) represents eyes watching, perhaps the eyes of God or another higher power.

Endless Column is considered to be the “spiritual will” of Brancusi.

It is also said that since the River Jiu runs very near to Tirgu Jiu, that this river is the way that the souls of the “hero soldiers” will reach the other life. This is reminiscent of Greek mythology and the River Styx’s.

Brancusi's early works were influenced by Rodin (see earlier post).

Remember that with any artwork that is walked through, as it is a part of a space, the experience of the viewer will change with every experience through the space based on the surrounding environment and others who are also occupying the space.

Brancusi is best known for his work Bird In Space (1923), a simplification that provides the essence of a bird as it glides through space.