Giacometti encourages positivty.

L'Homme qui marche I (Walking Man I) by Alberto Giacometti

1960, Bronze, 180.5 x 23.9 x 97 cm

People are going Giacometti nuts today, so I thought I'd address the insanity. Basically, the sculpture above sold for $104.3 Million last night in London at Sotheby's; meaning Walking Man I is now the world's most expensive piece ever sold at an auction. Honestly it doesn't surprise me much that it is was a Giacometti that broke the record because well, it's Giacometti! In the world of art (and the world in general) he is a pretty big deal. In fact, there are plenty of leather bound books written about him. 

So just who is this guy? Well Alberto Giacommetti was a Swiss man who created a whole lot of art, but his sculptures are what remain the most famous. As you might imagine his work is analyzed a lot and a bunch of people have different interpretations (like always). He had a strange style and through the years his figures just got longer and thinner, almost as if Giacometti was merely trying to see how much he could stretch the sculptures out. 

I have to admit that one reason why I love Giacometti is because his name is just so dang cool to say out loud. It just rolls off the tongue beautifully. However, the main reason I love Giacometti is the message I feel his sculptures portray. These figures are shown with the idea of motion, but their feet are rooted to the ground. While one might see this as portraying stagnation or isolation, I like to view it as completely opposite. Notice how the figure is standing straight and tall, with it's head held up? Well, this is the beauty of Walking Man. While the figures feet may be grounded, it's head it upright and it is confidently looking toward the future. To me Walking Man says: No matter how hard things get and how many people try to bring you down, you must always stand up confidently and continue onward. It's the positive messages that I love most in art. There's just something special about seeing a positive message over hearing something say something like, "You can do it!"

Giacometti encourages positivty.