Sculptors have been producing amazing artworks for millennia. We stare at them and admire the beauty of the shapes, feel the passion and the energy they emanate. But what’s behind their creation?
“Through the Eyes of the Sculptor”, written and produced by Gina Minervini, tries to follow and reconstruct the process that brings the modern sculptor from the idea to the final product. The documentary was recently presented at the Bowers Museum of Santa Ana (CA), and is part of the 2013: Year of the Italian Culture in the U.S., under the auspices of the Consulate General of Italy and with the collaboration of the IIC in Los Angeles.
Emmanuel Fillion works on one of his creations
“A sculpture comes alive in clay, dies in plaster and is reborn in marble.” This is an intense process that precedes a sculptor’s taking a hammer and chisel to stone. Minervini’s documentary examines the intricate and creative process behind this ancient art form, as master sculptor Emmanuel Fillion, who owns a studio in Malibu, creates a new piece. Fillion travels to marble mountains of Italy, Pietrasanta and Carrara, to walk in the footsteps of masters.
Here carving has been practiced for centuries, and that is the same marble Michelangelo used for his sumptuous sculptures. “In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me,” he said, “shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.”
In Italy and France, Fillion meets local artisans, who will help him transform his art into an art piece. “It’s like an orchestra” explains Minervini, “where many people perform for a final result. This is a team of artisans, where anyone plays his role to give life to a final sculpture.”
“Through The Eyes of the Sculptor” highlights the marriage of personal vision and old-world craftsmanship that transforms raw stone into art, and artists into masters.
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