Stein zur Meditation 78

With his 1959 Sculptors’ Symposium in the stone quarry at St. Margarethen, the Austrian artist Karl Prantl advanced the idea of international sculptors not only living and working together near the source of their stone, but also of publically presenting their works in the natural landscape. This form of collaborative working quickly spread around the world. For Prantl, working in the open countryside constituted an important part of his practice of sculpture. The idea of creating sculptures in a dialogue with the outdoor space shaped his monolithic works, which radiate a sense of calm. His sculptures on display in “Blickachsen 11” shine a light on his nuanced approach to the most diverse types of stone. Whereas in Bad Homburg, two of his works in Canadian granite can be seen, in Kronberg, his “Ring”, with its smoothly polished surface, is made from serpentine. His almost cubic “Meditation Stone”, on the other hand, is sculpted from Norwegian labradorite, with rows of pearl-shaped protuberances on its top side. All invite the observer literally to ‘grasp’ them – that is, to a thoughtful and sensual, a tactile as well as an optical, experience.