Europa and the Bull 1975

Reuben Nakian made this bronze sculpture, Europa and the Bull, and what I see here is a real love of process. The bronze feels almost like clay, like it was just coaxed into being, a kind of material thinking. Look at the way the surface undulates, the rough texture, the earthy colors. It’s as if the artist wanted you to feel the physicality of the medium, the weight and density of the bronze, but also the sense of the plastic being modeled and touched. My eye is drawn to Europa's outstretched arm; it’s reaching out to us, inviting us into this moment of transformation. Nakian's sculpture reminds me a little of Rodin, who was also interested in capturing movement and emotion through the manipulation of form. But Nakian has his own distinct voice, a kind of raw, untamed energy that is all his own. In the end, art is an ongoing conversation, a dance of ideas across time, and Nakian adds his own unique steps to the choreography.