Jean Arp / Hans Arp (September 16, 1886 – June 7, 1966) was one of the most prolific, revered and famous Franco-German sculptor, painter and poet. His designs were concrete in nature and he distorted reality to express his political point of view in the form of art. Arp had adopted many styles, especially “surrealism” and “abstractionism”. He also founded ‘Dadaism’. Jean’s main interest was in “surrealism”, since through it he could freely express his philosophical and political views. In 1931 he ventured into sculpture, which while substantial by nature, also symbolized his particular point of view. One of Jean Arp’s most famous sculptures is “Cloud Shepherd”, presented at the University City of Caracas, Venezuela, in 1953. The sculpture continues to adorn the university.
The University City of Caracas is famous for its architectural brilliance and urban planning. This university was exceptionally famous for its huge and prolific art sculptures, all of which were initially planned by the architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva. Many sculptors from around the world contributed to this project. Among them, it is worth highlighting “Cloud Shepherd” by Jean Arp. During the construction of the sculpture, the world had just survived WWII. Arp wanted to capture his political views, which he achieved through this sculpture.
Located near the Covered Plaza in the university, this sculpture, made of pure bronze, was quite tangible in nature. This was different from traditional sculpture methods, which were more abstract and deviant from reality. “Cloud Shepherd” was more real, since it took up more space, which Arp intended, since he believed that the sculpture was a composition like “a fruit that grows in man”. This sculpture had a clear shape and structure, on which when a sudden flash of light falls; illuminates the entire environment with its refraction. The curve of the sculpture symbolizes the wonders of nature such as clouds, hills and lakes to represent his dislike for machines and money, which were the root cause of wars.
With a flavor of ‘surrealism’ and ‘dadaism’, through “Cloud Shepherd”, Hans Arp wanted to express his dislike for bourgeois capitalist society. Due to its architectural marvel, the site of “Cloud Shepherd”, Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas, UNESCO, in 2000, included it in the list of “Patrimony of Humanity”. Jean Arp’s contribution to this university project cannot be forgotten, due to his innovative sculpture “Cloud Shepherd”, a perfect souvenir for the field of art.