Michelangelo-inspired carvings by Cornelius Sullivan
Cornelius Sullivan 91 SC is beginning a commission to carve a three-ton, seven-foot tall block of marble.
The marble is from the Carrara marble quarries, said to be where Michelangelo sourced some of his marble. Sullivan is currently carving in Naples, Florida. He studied Michelangelo's carving methods and is using the same tools that he used. These tools include a hammer, chisels, rasps, sandpaper, a point chisel, a subbia, a tooth chisel and a gradina. Sullivan is using Michelangelo's method of uncovering and finishing what he has found to see into the block. This is different than Greek carving methods, in which the artist would rough out the material.
Sullivan has recently published an article about carving where he discusses his discovery about the missing Head of Christ from Michelangelo's Rondanini Pietà. A short video called "Carving a Face in Marble" shows how Sullivan carves by hand.
