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Historic Architectural Structures Intricately Carved into Blocks of Marble

The marble sculptures by British artist Matthew Simmonds aren't your typical human forms popularized by the Ancient Greeks and Romans. Instead, he carves detailed and solitary architectural interiors into a corner or side of a hunk of stone. Simmonds leaves the natural edges of the rocks juxtaposed with his small, finished spaces. He pays homage to sacred buildings like baroque basilicas and Ancient Roman Temples by depicting some of their defining features like domed-roofs and elaborate columns.

While architecture can be seen as the transformation of materials celebrating Man's skill and ingenuity, Simmond's sculptures could perhaps prove otherwise. Nature overpowers architecture and encases it as if it's a fossil. The gorgeously-crafted rooms, while pristine, are no match for the rocks they're trapped inside; it offers a fascinating way of looking at these classic structures.

Matthew Simmonds: Website
via [Yatzer]

Sara Barnes

Sara Barnes is a Staff Editor at My Modern Met, Manager of My Modern Met Store, and co-host of the My Modern Met Top Artist Podcast. As an illustrator and writer living in Seattle, she chronicles illustration, embroidery, and beyond through her blog Brown Paper Bag and Instagram @brwnpaperbag. She wrote a book about embroidery artist Sarah K. Benning titled 'Embroidered Life' that was published by Chronicle Books in 2019. Sara is a graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art. She earned her BFA in Illustration in 2008 and MFA in Illustration Practice in 2013.
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