Architectural Carving
At Artifex we have a special fondness for the Gothic style. A period where ths Stonemason enjoyed social consideration, geographical mobility and freedom to decide a personal approach to each commission.
As a result of this unique combination of circumstances, the stonemasons helped to transform Gothic Style into the most daring architectural style, a display of balance and knowledge translated into space and light.
Cozy monsters watching over the horizon.
Winged Stone Felines.
Gargoyle inspired in a local traditional terracotta design.
Boris carving a replica of the well known "penseur" du Notre Dame.
Another small thinker pondering over the existence.
The possibility of imprinting emotions on a stone is a turning point in the evolution of the stonecutter and the sculptor. Fury, fear, hate, surprise ... providing a face with a mood makes a difference in comparison with "frozen", rigid carvings.
Jaume working on an screaming face.
In the Gothic, nothing is casual: the disproportionate size of the ears can allude to some local history, or maybe pointing out to some specific criticism of their society, whose context may have been lost in the course of the centuries.
It was also customary to portray the sponsort of the building, who contributed with money to the comunal work. So many of these carvings represent or caricature persons that actually existed.
