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    Peels and Folds Soften José Manuel Castro López’s Fleshy Stone Sculptures

    Untitled (2017), granite, 26 x 18 x 11 inches. Image courtesy of the artist and Cadogan Gallery, shared with permission

    Peels and Folds Soften José Manuel Castro López’s Fleshy Stone Sculptures

    October 22, 2024

    Art

    Kate Mothes

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    Delicately peeled skin and supple folds appear where we’d least expect them in José Manuel Castro López’s stone sculptures (previously). From small boulders of granite and quartz found near his home in A Coruña, Spain, the artist carves and polishes delicate wrinkles that suggest fabric or the malleability of smashed, wet clay. For example, “Recorte de Piel,” or “Skin Peeling,” resembles an angular slice of potato skin carefully pulled away.

    A few works shown here are part of López’s exhibition at Cadogan Solo in Milan, which continues through October 31. Keep an eye on his Instagram for updates.

    “Dedo de Dios” (2023), granite, 13 x 9 x 4 inches. Image courtesy of Cadogan Gallery

    “Recorte de Piel” (2021), granite, 15 x 12 x 5 inches. Image courtesy of Cadogan Gallery

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    Miniature Architectural Spaces Nestle into Carved Chunks of Raw Marble

    
    Art

    #architecture
    #marble
    #miniature
    #sculpture
    #stone
    #stone carving

    May 25, 2021
    Grace Ebert

    “Tetraconch II” (2019), Faxe limestone, 38 centimeters. All images © Matthew Simmonds, shared with permission
    Since antiquity, marble has been a preferred material for sculptors and architects alike because of its relative softness and the unlikelihood that it’ll shatter. British artist Matthew Simmonds (previously) fuses these two traditional forms and honors their history with his miniature models carved into hunks of the raw stone. Evoking ancient ruins and sacred architecture—most pieces aren’t modeled after specific structures—the chiseled sculptures are complete with grand archways, ornately tiled ceilings, and minuscule statues on display in their halls.
    Within the spaces, Simmonds contrasts the rough, jagged edges of the stone with precise angles and detailed flourishes. “Drawing on the formal language and philosophy of architecture the work explores themes of positive and negative form, the significance of light and darkness, and the relationship between nature and human endeavor,” he says in a statement.
    See more of the artist’s carved interiors, which are often less than a foot wide, on his site.

    “Mystras” (2020), Carrara marble, 39 centimeters
    Left: “Essay in Perpendicular” (2018), limestone, 42 centimeters. Right: “Window” (2020), limestone, 24 centimeters
    Detail of “Hidden Landscape II” (2019), Carrara marble, 180 centimeters
    “Gothic Passage II” (2021), limestone, 25.5 centimeters
    Left: “Single Helix II” (2019), Faxe limestone, 24 centimeters. Right: “Landscape: study” (2020), limestone, 10 centimeters
    Detail of “Basilica V” (2020), Carrara marble, 170 centimeters
    “Stepwell” (2020), Faxe limestone, 39 centimeters
    Detail of “Stepwell” (2020), Faxe limestone, 39 centimeters

    #architecture
    #marble
    #miniature
    #sculpture
    #stone
    #stone carving

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    Granite and Quartz Stones Carved to Appear Like Fabric and Clay by José Manuel Castro López

    
    Art

    #carving
    #rocks
    #stone carving
    #stone sculptures

    October 26, 2020
    Christopher Jobson

    All photos © José Manuel Castro López.
    Spanish artist José Manuel Castro López (previously) transforms nondescript chunks of granite and quartz into squished and dough-like objects, as if each object morphed from solid to liquid and back again in the sculptor’s capable hands. López seems to delight in convincing the viewer that he works with stone as if it were clay. Lately, he’s begun to introduce additional objects that seem to stitch, clamp, or stretch the stones in various ways. While the pieces are obviously not as complex as a Bernini or Michelangelo, they do function as unusual and often humorous studies of various stone carving techniques. You can explore a steady stream of work old and new on his Facebook timeline. (via My Modern Met)

    #carving
    #rocks
    #stone carving
    #stone sculptures

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