The Wisdom of Earth

Showcasing his ability to come up with distinct figures, Constantin Brancusi brings to life one of his signature sculptures The Wisdom of Earth.

The carving depicts a worrying woman sitting with folded arms, and her legs pulled up. Each detail is nicely done with edges smoothed, giving you an alluring appearance. Brancusi worked on the statue in 1907, and in 1910 it was first displayed to the public with people garnering mixed reactions as to the message he was trying to convey. The sculpture was, however, finally accepted and has ever since been a notable Romanian figure. The wisdom of earth sculpture is carved from a block of limestone rock. The statue has a height of 20 inches. Constantin Brancusi employs a primitive modernist style in bringing the sculpture to life. It is one of the few remaining statues in Romania, making it a national treasure.

Brancusi uses his intricate stone curving capabilities to sculpt one of the most valued statues in Romania. His keen eye to detail, combined with his creative imagination, brings forth a sculpture of a woman seated on a slab of rock. The legs of the statue are pulled, and the woman is seen wrapping her hands around her stomach. She puts on a serious face indicating her absolute focus. Constantin Brancusi is influenced by oriental art, philosophy, and Africanism in creating the statue.

To achieve a perfect display of the woman's emotion, Constantin Brancusi goes ahead and pulls her hair back, giving her a clear hairline. He also articulately curves her chest and brings out her slim arms to give an incredible finish and achieve a feminine silhouette. Her shoulders are gradually inclined to the front, and her legs slightly curve. That shows how detailed and keen to the human features Constantine was during his time.

Not so much is done on the back other than numerous curves and the inclusion of vertical incision signifying the woman's backbone. More focus was placed on the front of the sculpture, with Brancusi paying much attention to the smaller details like the inclusion of ears. He also uses creativity and craftiness to ensure the proportionality of the stature from head to toe. Additionally, he takes his time to carve out the toes, which gives the statue a realistic feel. The current location of the wisdom of earth sculpture is at the National art museum of Romania. Its previous location was the Bank of Romania, where they were trying to raise cash to buy it from its private owners.