Head 1935

Julio Gonzalez made this metal sculpture, called ‘Head’, sometime in the 20th century, and what a head it is! It's like a line drawing in space, a kind of surreal portrait. I can imagine Gonzalez carefully welding and bending these metal rods, improvising, letting the material guide him. The face is almost skeletal, yet there’s a playful quality to it, like a Picasso drawing brought to life. Look at the semi-circular curve arching over the face. It reminds me of a crescent moon, or maybe a protective halo. What was Gonzalez thinking? Was he trying to capture the essence of a person, or just experimenting with form and space? Maybe Gonzalez was chatting with Picasso or Brancusi, swapping ideas, each pushing the boundaries of what sculpture could be. This piece feels part of that conversation. Artists are always riffing off each other, and ‘Head’ is a reminder that art is a continuous dialogue, an ongoing exploration of ideas, materials, and ways of seeing.