Magical work, truly. Work that shifts your perception, and that’s a hallmark of great and grand art.
Stone-cold is probably the worst metaphor to describe the work of Galician sculptor José Manuel Castro López. His soft stone sculptures are dripping and dynamic, transcending the usual notions of tactility and rigidity. The forms look as though they’re made of sponge, clay, or even skin, but really he uses hard materials like quartz and granite to play tricks on the viewer. He makes one question the laws of nature. With simple pinches, swirls, and gaps, he breathes life into the hard, previously unforgiving stone.
According to the artist, stone and its properties are often mythologized in Galician culture. Inspired by this, he finds that his work is more impacted by magic than technique: “It is not the sculptor who acts, but the wizard, the druid,” he tells The Creators Project, “My relationship with the stone is not physical, but magical. It recognizes me, it obeys me…we understand each other. My stones are not lifeless. They manifest themselves.”
You can see much more at The Creators Project, or José Manuel Castro López’s facebook.
These are folds, wrinkles and flaps in the space-time continuinum.
Nifty ideas in the art.
Yes. I have a special love for art which messes with our perceptions about nature, and this work is particularly fine.
….HOW? Heat? I think heat, it almost has to be heat. Wow.
I think very fine stone working. He took a natural rock, made some parts look like they were flowing and then made the rest look like a natural rock again.
Giliell:
Yep. In the last photo, you can see the difference in the ‘bowl’ area -- it’s much smoother than the rest of the rock.
D’oh! I see it now. Surreal though. Sure messed with my perceptions!
Folded rocks, hm! Nice. Not much use as a pillow though, I suppose. :)
My eyes have been fooled.
These are so fascinating. I can’t stop looking at them. The last one on that website is the best.