Beeld van Nike door Paeonius before 1905

This statue of Nike, or Victory, was created by Paeonius. Imagine him, standing there, chisel in hand. The statue has so much energy, doesn’t it? One arm is outstretched, while the drapery swirls around her legs like she's about to take off, or has just landed. She's missing a head, which is a shame, but perhaps we can imagine one for her. When I look at her, I think of other artists who were also interested in creating this sense of movement, like Umberto Boccioni’s sculpture, Unique Forms of Continuity in Space. It’s funny to think of artists across time having a silent conversation. Paeonius made this so long ago, and his ideas about form and dynamism are still alive today, still inspiring other artists to take up the conversation. They're all pushing and pulling at each other, trying to figure out how to make something new and to explore what it means to be alive.