Wood Book 木の書物　[Albero Libro]

A row of seven wooden posts are leaned casually against the wall. A thin tree trunk can be seen passing through the center of each post. This is one of "wood" series that Giuseppe Penone made from around 1970. Penone belongs to the younger generation of the "Arte Povera" (poor art) movement that emerged in Italy in the late sixties, and he is known as an artist whose work embodies the basic ideas of this group especially well. These ideas were similar to those of Minimal Art in the United States and the "Mono-ha" in Japan, both of which appeared about the same time. They explored the possibilities of artistic expression obtained by reducing the materials and structure of artworks to the most basic elements. In this work，Penone uses pieces of wood which have been sawn into standard sizes for use as building products. He carves into these planks to reveal the form of the tree trunk hidden inside them, leaving the knots exposed，He gradually strips away the layers of the tree, which has been cut down by human beings, tuning in to its history and returning to the source of life．"From the knots of the tree, one can find the parts that soar into the sky and the parts that absorb light from the south, and tell whether it was born in a dense forest, on a grassy plain, or on the edge of the woods." The viewer can read many different natural stories in these wooden posts which are like books that have been opened up to show what is inside them.