Sound of Stars (work of art)

Stone

 

I am drawn to stone

because it is stubborn;

an opponent that frightens

for it cannot be bested.

Granite will last though he who has shaped it

may be a mere memory

some years down the road.

My longing to work in stone is akin

to the need for love: an emotion

that endlessly burns within.

 

Masayuki Nagare

Nagare was influenced by Shinto, Zen Buddhism, and Japanese martial arts. Shinto (“the way of the gods”) is a traditional Japanese religion. Shinto focuses on the relationship between people and nature. Followers of Shinto believe that kami (sacred or divine powers, including gods, spirits, and ancestors) inhabit all things, including forces of nature and important landscapes. Zen Buddhism is a school of Buddhism that originated in China and focuses on the practice of meditation to reach enlightenment. Nagare was nicknamed the “Samurai Artist” because of his commitment to traditional Japanese aesthetics. He was born into a former samurai household and spent his teenage years training in the martial arts of a samurai, including swordsmanship. During that time he took an interest in traditional Japanese sword making, and he trained as a sword maker for a year.

Nagare’s sculptural work was featured in the Japanese pavilion at the 1964 New York World’s Fair. He used 600 tons of stone from the Aji stone quarry to build the facade of the pavilion. It was a replica of a castle carved from stone and surrounded by a moat. He called the work Stone Crazy.

Nagare became a popular sculptor with architects in the late 1900s. He was often commissioned to create large-scale installations for newly constructed modern buildings. His sculpture Cloud Fortress was installed at the World Trade Center. It survived the 9/11 terrorist attacks but was dismantled during the search-and-rescue efforts.

My works, though ponderous, are not without touches of lightness and gentleness. I have launched the triangle, a cosmic shape from ages past, into the future by suspending three corners above the ground to make it seem to float, rather than be rooted in the ground.

Masayuki Nagare

• Read a biography about Masayuki Nagare.
• View another work by the artist.

Resources for Students

• Watch a video about Nagare’s work Remembered Promise.
• View another work by the artist.