Ratko Vulanović carved the sculpture Cherry Blossom out of a monolithic block of stone. The vertical axis of the cube is softened by organic shapes on two sides. The hard matter is processed in a way that evokes the feeling of softness and the illusion of growing rounded buds, which seem as if they are just about to blossom out of the compact monolithic mass. Vulanović has managed to combine in an imaginative manner the structure of his sculpting material and the construction of organic shapes to form a harmonious whole. The conceptual rigidity of the carved shapes is thus softened and reminiscent of the basic shapes from nature’s repertoire. The masses of spheres and half spheres stem from the mass of the tall rectangular column and represent a contrast to the unworked side of the sculpture, which expresses a primary organic structure and the elementary nature of stone. The Cherry Blossom, created on the basis of concrete inspiration from nature, is one of Vulanović’s typical statues, its expressive form and the processing of material subtly signifying its own essence.

Text: Katarina Hergold Germ