Stone Talk
by Athar Jaber | 4 May 2025
Quote
“It is a great privilege to be able to work with, and I suppose work off, my feelings through sculpture.”
Happy birthday Antun Augustinčić
Today marks the birthday of Antun Augustinčić, one of the most important Croatian sculptors of the 20th century. His best-known work, Peace, stands in front of the United Nations Headquarters in New York. It’s a monumental statue of a woman on horseback holding an olive branch and a globe, symbolically guiding the nations of the world toward peace. If only the nations were following…
You can read and see more about this work here.
While researching Augustinčić, I came across a whole lineage of remarkable Croatian sculptors, many of whom I had never heard of, and I look forward to honouring them on their birthdays in the future.
The Beauty of Concrete
This fascinating essay by Samuel Hughes challenges the idea that ornament disappeared from architecture because it became too expensive. Instead, it argues that modern technology actually made ornament cheaper and more accessible than ever—before modernist ideology reshaped our collective taste. Highly relevant to this newsletter, a large part is dedicated to the development of indirect stone carving from antiquity to the modern day. A must-read for anyone reflecting on why our cities look the way they do.
The Secrets of San Severo
A new episode of The Sculptor’s Funeral is out, one of my most cherished podcasts to listen to while carving stone. This time, Jason Arkles delves into the mysteries of the San Severo Chapel in Naples, home to some of the most astonishing marble sculptures ever carved, including Corradini’s Modesty, Quierolo’s Freedom from Illusion, and Sanmartino’s Veiled Christ.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
Sculpting Memory in Ghana
Not strictly stone, but noteworthy to share: I recently came across this article highlighting a powerful sculpture park in Ghana that commemorates the victims of the transatlantic slave trade. Created by local and international artists, the park uses the language of sculpture to confront historical trauma—transforming a former slave route into a space for mourning, memory, and reflection. A remarkable example of how sculpture can serve as a vessel for collective reckoning.
Q&A
Do you have specific question around sculpture and stone carving? Submit your question here below and I’ll do my best to answer it in one of the next Stone Talk Newsletters.
I hope you enjoyed these points and that you learned something new.
Until next week,
Athar
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