Art at the Rockface: The Fascination of Stone

Now moved to the Millenium Galleries, Arundel Gate, Sheffield
23 September 2006 – 7 January 2007

Ever since our earliest ancestors first painted on rock, people have been fascinated by the power of stone.

This multi-media exhibition which was shown at Norwich Castle in 2006 explores how artists over the millennia, from early to modern man, have been captivated by the geology of our surrounding land.

Amongst a striking display of rocks and fossils from around the globe, you will find works of art by some of our most well loved artists including Joseph Wright of Derby, J.M.W. Turner, Rene Magritte, Jacob Epstein, Henry Moore and Barbara Hepworth. These artists have all shared a fascination for stone, and today we are presented with their personal understanding of this material which shapes our modern world.

The exhibition can be seen at the Millennium Galleries in Sheffield from 23 September 2006 to 7 January 2007.

Art at the Rockface: The Fascination of Stone seeks to present a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural history of art from cave painting to the present day, demonstrating along the way that stone has always been central to our sense of ourselves. The range of selected artworks aims to highlight the diversity of our response to stone and to encourage a different way of seeing art.

You can download an article by the curators of the exhibition, Andrew Moore, Keeper of Art, and Nigel Larkin, Curator of Geology. Please click here.

Accompanying Publication

Art at the Rockface: The Fascination of Stone

Edited by Andrew Moore and Nigel Larkin, with a foreword by Andrew Smith and contributions by Francesca Vanke Altman, Giorgia Bottinelli, Nicholas Thornton and Norma Watt
96 pages, 84 colour illustrations, Philip Wilson Publishers, London 2006

This book examines ways by which artists have explored the fascination and meaning of stone. Those who sculpt with the chisel, grind pigments, create landscapes, fashion jewellery or work with graphite are connecting directly with the rock beneath their feet. Early people drew or painted on the rockface and fashioned flint. More recently humankind has selected stone to build and sculpt and has consistently conferred values, properties and meanings upon selected stones.

The study of stone in art leads us to consider the forces that have made the Earth. At times a belief in the sacred has informed artists’ desire to make art, often making symbols for worship. Themes common to different cultures – notably faith, study or transformation, myth and memory – are all fundamental to our sense of ourselves. Geological resources have helped shape the history of art.

Available from: Norwich Castle shop, price £9.95 + UK postage & packing £3.95 (please make cheques payable to Norfolk County Council).

Mail order enquiries:
The Sales Department
Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service
The Shirehall
Market Avenue
Norwich NR1 3JQ

Email: museums@norfolk.gov.uk
Telephone: 01603 493628

© NMAS | Conditions of use | Privacy policy | Glossary of terms | Contact us