Stone Gargoyle on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal Painting

Sculpture, and particularly stone carving, is a duplicitous act. On the one hand it is an act of supreme craft. This is necessitated by the raw materials being, without exception, unwieldy, unforgiving and requiring a wealth of skill and technical knowledge as well as extraordinary amounts of physical effort in order to shape them. On the other hand, the act of taking the aforementioned unrelenting sediment and hacking the rumpus of shapes until the play of light and shade on the remnant mass resembles that of supple flesh or billowing fabric is an act of mind-bending sheer creativity. With effort, determination and patience a capable individual may be able to distil the former and attain the requisite skills. However, the latter is an elixir altogether more elusive. When we take the time to look, not a pastime without risk on this busting corner, we find exceptional examples of the art as well as the craft all over the former Post Office headquarters. On the buildings lower northeast corner, bathed in the reflected light of the late afternoon, this gargoyle patiently sits with its mouth agog. It is but one of a multitude of imaginative faces that stare out from the buildings elaborate facades. However, it is worth individual examination as it exemplifies more than most the ability of the artisan not just to skilfully shape the stone but to breathe life into it.