Long Road to Freedom

Marino Marini, a celebrated 20th-century sculptor, began his artistic journey by crafting evocative bronze works, including a striking figure of a man on horseback.

It was the first of such bronzes that Marini continued to create well into his old age. In the early versions, Marini’s rider appears confident, even triumphant, with his arms outstretched and his eyes looking upward. The artist described these early versions as “symbols of hope and gratitude.” But, as Marini grew older, the rider’s image appeared less and less confident, less and less hopeful, and more and more abstract. Reflecting on these changes, the artist said, “If you look at my equestrian statues of the last twelve years, you will notice that the feeling of panic steadily increases. Even the animal is frozen with terror and stands paralyzed rather than taking flight. That is because I believe we are approaching the time of a sorry end to the world. In every figure, I tried to express a deepening sense of…