on art and nature portrait by JACOPO BENASSI interview by ALEXIS DAHAN At 69, Giuseppe Penone still works as intensely as he did when he started his artistic career in the late ’60s. Originally associated with his fellow Italian artists of this generation under the convenient label of Arte Povera, Penone has grown into a tireless sculptor who uses wood, brass, and marble to convey his obsessions with natural and human “imprints.” He has had as many exhibitions as there are leaves on the trees, and numerous publications have demonstrated why his work matters. So why are we doing one more interview? Why now? Perhaps because we believe that the wisdom of someone like Penone — who, for the past 40 years, has never stopped working for what he believes — will always have the potential to enlighten current and future generations. ALEXIS DAHAN — As an Italian artist, you are coming…