Some states of heart of the sculptor vis-a-vis to the block of rough marble
Small history of ICARE
I always will even seek my blocks of marble in the career, because only the sculptor
can take the responsability for the choice of his material. If there is a " wire
" which is likely to make break the sculpture, after of the months of work, nobody of
other can of it be responsible... I decided " to offer " a beautiful block to myself,
to pass " my maitrise of sculpture "... I thus went on a journey to CARRARA
MARBLE (Italy), in the most beautiful careers, and there I discovered MY BLOCK... White of
white of Pietrasanta (holy stone, career of MichelAnge).
The thunderbolt, it had the shape of wing... The subject immediately appeared to me: ICARE,
and the challenge that I launched out: or I made a success of it, or I burn myself the
wings... I worked for 18 MONTHS, every day, from 8 to 10 hours per day... and the night I
dreamed of the shape of a muscle, detail of the expression of the glance... The creation
of a monument implies, for the sculptor, a little as for the actor, to invest themselves
entirely in its subject and to think: I am Icare, I am spirit to fly, I carry out the
dream of all the men, but it occurs something from dramatic, my right wing does not answer
more...
Held bet, gained challenge, I finally spent 3 months to polish " the skin of my
character ", with a permanent physical contact, because it is with the hand which
cherishes, that one can detect roughnesses which arrest the brightness. After this great
history of love shared, it is very difficult to separate from his " child "...
Nevertheless the children must live their life, and I would be happy that ICARE,
can go to tell you his history and to make you share its emotions.
Small history of GAĻA
For the creation of Gaļa, the advance was opposite. I had the idea formed in my
head, I wanted to represent an allegory of EUROPE, symbolized by 2 men mutually helping
itself to be born from the Gaļa ground-mother. I thus started by drawing beautiful
athletes, (the muscles are omnipresent in my work... I adore the backs...) then I modelled
2 or 3 models in order to obtain the wanted effect, which is neither a fight, nor a
rescue!
I wanted that each man is distinct from the different one, but at the same time as they
are twin. When finally at the end of 3 or 4 months, my project was ready to carry out, I
visited the marble careers to control the adequate block. My choice was guided by the
color. I wanted a marble black, hotter with the eye and attracting the caress, that the
white marble. Moreover the black reinforces volumes and accentuates the force of work by
attracting all the reflections of the day, whereas the white marble absorbs them...
There too thunderbolt, for a block crossed by a superb diagonal white vein, which was
going to enable me to connect my 2 characters and the ground, while rythmant the
composition...
I was useful myself of the chance of material, by discovering the white veinules which seem to transfuse the life of the interior of the ground towards the belly of the men...
I voluntarily left the heads of the characters embedded in the magma, because they did not finish being born...
2 years and half, yes, 900 days, approximately 7.500 hours later, I can finally turn around: Gaļa, ground of the men by cherishing the forms!
It was not without evil, with the literal meaning of the word... The blows of mass on
the fingers, small permanent wounds of the glares of the marble, which bursts in cutting
plates... the crises of osteoarthritis of the wrist, the elbow or the shoulder, well-known
of the sculptors of direct size... The discouragement when work seems to stagnate... and
especially the permanent fear of breakage, until the end! The pangs of creation, it is not
only a one exercise of style!