''Berger des Nuages'', ''Pastor de Nubes'', or ''Cloud Shepherd'' is a work of art by

Jean Arp Hans Peter Wilhelm Arp (16 September 1886 – 7 June 1966), better known as Jean Arp in English, was a German-French sculptor, painter, and poet. He was known as a Dadaist and an abstract artist. Early life Arp was born in Straßburg (now Stras ...

just outside the Plaza Cubierta of the

University City of Caracas The University City of Caracas (Spanish: ''Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas''), also known by the acronym CUC, is the main campus of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV), located in central Caracas, the capital of Venezuela. It was designed by ...

Background

The Venezuelan architect and designer

Carlos Raúl Villanueva Carlos Raúl Villanueva Astoul (May 30, 1900 – August 16, 1975) was a Venezuelan modernist architect. Villanueva went for the first time to Venezuela when he was 28 years old. He was involved in the development and modernization of Caracas, ...

began designing the University City of Caracas campus in the 1940s, beginning construction in the 1950s during a time of prevailing

Modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

in Latin America. Villanueva hired many artists from around the world to contribute works to the campus, including Arp.

Design and construction

The design is also known as ''Forme de Lutin'' (''Gnome Shape''), and the 3.2-

metre The metre (British spelling) or meter (American spelling; see spelling differences) (from the French unit , from the Greek noun , "measure"), symbol m, is the primary unit of length in the International System of Units (SI), though its pref ...

sculpture has multiple smaller copies around the world. The sculpture in Caracas was based on one of the smaller forms, which were created in 1949, and was both cast in the Susse foundry and placed on the campus in 1954. On developing the sculpture from its smaller design, Arp said in 1953: KMM Arp 03

It is said that Arp's creative influence for the sculpture was based on his reaction to the Second World War. The sculpture's wavy form simulates the natural curves of clouds, hills, and lakes, and expresses Arp's opposition to machines that caused wars. It has elements of

Surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

and

Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an art movement of the European avant-garde in the early 20th century, with early centres in Zürich, Switzerland, at the Cabaret Voltaire (Zurich), Cabaret Voltaire (in 1916). New York Dada began c. 1915, and after 192 ...

. The sculpture sits just outside the Plaza Cubierta by the Aula Magna; behind it is a large ceramic

mural A mural is any piece of graphic artwork that is painted or applied directly to a wall, ceiling or other permanent substrate. Mural techniques include fresco, mosaic, graffiti and marouflage. Word mural in art The word ''mural'' is a Spani ...

Mateo Manaure Mateo Manaure (18 October 1926 – 19 March 2018) was a Venezuelan modern artist. In Venezuela he is considered a master of abstractionism, and is known for his works in the University City of Caracas and for creating the largest glass mural in t ...

Appearance

The sculpture is described as a "large organic form with rounded, wavy protrusions

hat are A hat is a head covering which is worn for various reasons, including protection against weather conditions, ceremonial reasons such as university graduation, religious reasons, safety, or as a fashion accessory. Hats which incorporate mecha ...

more reminiscent of a strange, budding fruit". It has undergone preservation in the past, when Arp was alive to advise on how he should like it done. It was originally proposed that Arp gave the sculpture(s) its name after placement, as the shiny surface reflected the clouds passing above, but conservation efforts of Arp's works have shown that he does not like his sculptures to be reflective as this distracts from the lines in them.

Notes

References

{{World Heritage Sites in Venezuela 1954 sculptures Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas

Background

Design and construction

Appearance

See also

Notes

References