Città 1963

Fausto Melotti's sculpture, aptly titled "Città" or "City," is crafted from delicate metal rods and planes. The upright lines topped with spheres evoke a constellation of celestial bodies or, perhaps, the rising figures of human beings. The ladder motif here ascends to a transcendent space, a symbolic gesture deeply rooted in human history. The ladder as an icon appears in ancient Egyptian art, representing the pharaoh's ascent to the heavens. In Christian traditions, the ladder is seen in Jacob's dream as a bridge between Earth and the divine. But the spheres draw my eye. These finials placed atop the structure remind me of orbs, potent symbols of completeness and divinity across cultures. The way these orbs are placed atop the vertical lines gives them a sense of equilibrium. "Città" is not just an arrangement of metal; it is an exploration of timeless symbols, a conversation between the earthly and the celestial. It asks us to consider our place within the grand narrative of human existence and the cosmos.