When: 10.07.2003 - 30.11.2003
Where: Hermitage, Saint-Petersburg, Russia
About
On 10 October 2003, in the Foyer of the Hermitage Theater opened an exhibition organized by the State Hermitage Museum jointly with the Embassy of Spain in Russia, acting on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, and the Museo Chillida-Leku.
The Hermitage exhibition is the first display in Russia of the works of Eduardo Chillida (1924-2002), the prominent Spanish sculptor and graphic artist of the 20th century. The retrospective show includes over 30 creations spanning the period from 1954 to 1997. These are sculptures made from steel and terra-cotta, drawings which the master himself called "gravitations", and books. What they have in common is music, which had a vital importance for the outstanding Spanish sculptor.
Eduardo Chillida aspired to express in his creations the individual styles of various composers and their compositions. Entire cycles were dedicated by him to Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Vivaldi. In his series of engravings, the artist shares his understanding of Bach's music with his audience.
"I wanted to express the power of Bach's lungs, the might of music and its variations, and its ability to spread throughout time and space," Chillida was saying.
Chillidas creations entrance man and plunge him into the world of mystery. They are figures of time, space, astonishment and unanswered questions. These are taciturn universes filled with melodies and ideas. Over thirty works were devoted by the sculptor to the Spanish mystic St. John of the Cross (1542-91). Chillida knew and often cited his Spiritual Canticle. The metaphor itself of inaudible music spiritual silence sounding within one's soul was proposed by St. John.