Homenaje a A. Fleming 1955

This sculpture, “Homenaje a A. Fleming,” is a tribute to the inventor of penicillin by Eduardo Chillida, who was working at some point in his career. It’s made of stone, a rugged, elemental substance. It looks like a child’s blocks stacked together. I wonder what it might have been like to chisel away at the stone, removing the excess to reveal the forms within. The blocks evoke simple shapes, but the composition is not quite symmetrical. This tension gives it energy. It reminds me that artists are always in conversation with each other across time. Chillida must have been inspired by earlier sculptors who worked with stone, like the ancient Egyptians or the Renaissance masters, but he also brings his own sensibility to the material. Sculpture embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.