Richard and all,
the meaning of the act of carving is very important in
my eyes. I was influenced by Mircea Eliade, a historian
of religions, author of numerous books on the meaning of
myths, the origin of the sacred, the hidden
relationships between religions and beleiefs across
cultures and geographies.
Somewhere Eliade says that the act of carving - like
many other acts - places the artist in a seemingly
endless chain reaching back to the prehistoric ages,
when a hunter in what is now Siberia carved a bear out
of a mammoth tusk. He did so not to create Art with a
capital A, but to express his humility towards the great
Bear. In other words the carving hunter expresses his
notion about the sacred. When we carve today we repeat a
gesture which has mystical origins, whether we intend to
create Art or art, or just want to amuse someone, or to
make money. We're a link in the chain, a pearl on a
string.
Eliade advises contemporary artists to be aware of this
relationship and to find today's expression of the
sacred - whatever that sacred may be today.
I have learned to carve from Italians. One of the first
things they told me was to put my workbench on earthen
floor. Not on concrete floor, not on paved floor, but on
plain earth. When I asked why, they said, well, marble
comes from earth. It needs to stay in touch with it when
you work on it.
I, too, would like to hear what others think about
Richard's comments. I think this is a rare moment when
artists and observers from around the world can have an
exchange on these issues. I am thankful for this
marvellous thing called the Internet.
thanks,
Andrei
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