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Lot Essay
'My equestrian statues express the torment caused by the events of this century. The restlessness of my horse grows with each new work, the rider appears increasingly worn out, he has lost his dominance over the beast and the catastrophes to which he succumbs are similar to those which destroyed Sodom and Pompeii. I hope to make the last stage of the dissolution of a myth-the myth of heroic and victorious individualism, of the Humanists' virtuous man-visible. My work from these last years is not intended to be heroic, but tragic' (Marini, quoted in G. Carandente, Marino Marini: Catalogue Raisonné of the Sculptures, Milan, 1998, p.14).
For thousands of years, equestrian statues expressed the superiority of the mounted man-controlled, strong, superior. Marino Marini, however, radically reinterpreted the theme for the modern age. In Cavaliere, the cool command of the Gothic equestrian portrait of Emperor Henry II in Bamberg Cathedral, which heavily influenced Marini when he visited it, is replaced by chaos and disunity. The rider has no control either of himself or of his steed.
The horse is not bucking the rider, but appears anguished, straining its neck, stretching its legs. The simple geometrical shapes of which both horse and rider are constructed form stress lines, their harsh angularity accentuating the drama and tension. The rider's right leg melds with the horse's front right haunch-the rider and horse are literally joined at the hip. This join extends to the horse's head which protrudes from the man's midriff like a penis. The rider has thrust his arms towards his crotch as if in searing pain. Marini has deliberately fostered an ambiguity, letting this moment of loss of control, reminiscent of a frenzied sexual climax, appear both rapturous and agonizing.
The rider's lack of balance is a result of man's break with nature. The ancient union of horse and rider has been rendered obsolete by technological advances. The geometrical, almost mechanical forms which comprise Cavaliere, executed in 1956-57 accentuate this division between Man and Nature. Its curves recall 1950s automobiles while the rider's left leg appears like a cannon or a piston. During the 1950s, Marini's artistic style veered away from the simplified, Etruscan manner of his earlier works: he sought a new visual language, untainted by the dated influence of past cultures and artists. The angularity and raw texture of Cavaliere reflect this new harmony between the message and the medium in Marini's sculpture. This is taken to a new level in the present work by its sheer monumentality: one of the largest works Marini ever created, its size adds great strength and conviction to the sculpture. Cavaliere is a colossal scream, a massive artistic epitaph to the disappearing poetry of the world.
For thousands of years, equestrian statues expressed the superiority of the mounted man-controlled, strong, superior. Marino Marini, however, radically reinterpreted the theme for the modern age. In Cavaliere, the cool command of the Gothic equestrian portrait of Emperor Henry II in Bamberg Cathedral, which heavily influenced Marini when he visited it, is replaced by chaos and disunity. The rider has no control either of himself or of his steed.
The horse is not bucking the rider, but appears anguished, straining its neck, stretching its legs. The simple geometrical shapes of which both horse and rider are constructed form stress lines, their harsh angularity accentuating the drama and tension. The rider's right leg melds with the horse's front right haunch-the rider and horse are literally joined at the hip. This join extends to the horse's head which protrudes from the man's midriff like a penis. The rider has thrust his arms towards his crotch as if in searing pain. Marini has deliberately fostered an ambiguity, letting this moment of loss of control, reminiscent of a frenzied sexual climax, appear both rapturous and agonizing.
The rider's lack of balance is a result of man's break with nature. The ancient union of horse and rider has been rendered obsolete by technological advances. The geometrical, almost mechanical forms which comprise Cavaliere, executed in 1956-57 accentuate this division between Man and Nature. Its curves recall 1950s automobiles while the rider's left leg appears like a cannon or a piston. During the 1950s, Marini's artistic style veered away from the simplified, Etruscan manner of his earlier works: he sought a new visual language, untainted by the dated influence of past cultures and artists. The angularity and raw texture of Cavaliere reflect this new harmony between the message and the medium in Marini's sculpture. This is taken to a new level in the present work by its sheer monumentality: one of the largest works Marini ever created, its size adds great strength and conviction to the sculpture. Cavaliere is a colossal scream, a massive artistic epitaph to the disappearing poetry of the world.