Breath of Leaves
GIUSEPPE PENONE
GIUSEPPE PENONE, 1979
Guiseppe Penone lay down in a pile of leaves and breathed. He breathed nature and left his imprint. The work is transient and in a state of constant change. The slightest move from the spectator will be enough to move a single leaf and change the construction. Penone made art outside of the system. Alongside a small group of Italian artists, he developed a genre known as Arte Povera, or poor art. Creating work from limited, affordable resources, both natural and man-made, he questioned the means of production and the human relationship with nature. He did not strive for immortality; his work will be carried away by the wind.