Mauro BerrettiniLa pietra sospesa (THE SUSPENDED STONE)

/ THE WORK

La pietra sospesa (THE SUSPENDED STONE), 2001
travertine

The work of the Sienese sculptor Mauro Berrettini reflects on the relationships between man and myth, between art and nature. La Pietra Sospesa (The Suspended Stone) is part of a series called Entrances and is made up of two distinct but related parts, where the largest – in the shape of a portal – supports the large stone, while the second is a seat that allows you to admire the sculpture from a vantage point and works as an interactive element. This portal is one of those that discourages entering physically but which, however, invites you inside with your gaze and mind.
The treatment of travertine, quarried in Rapolano where the artist has his studio, creates different levels: there is a growing sense of movement that goes from the small stone under the observer’s “throne” to the large stone that crowns the top of the sculpture. The contrast between small and large, worked and rough, vertical and horizontal, full and empty gives the work a visual richness which is embellished by the color contrast between the sculpture and the vivid green of the surrounding park.
The large, suspended stone, which seems to be raised to the sky by the arms of an underground giant, shows us the structure of the rough travertine fresh from the quarry, not worked and polished as we usually see it in interior design. Berrettini’s general aim is to achieve harmony between ourselves and the world around us; since all of his works dialogue with nature, the Park is the ideal location.