statue of Mary, Queen of the Universe
Conversations in Stone - An Artist talks about her Art
Jill Burkee, sculpture for the
Shrine's defining statue of Mary,
Queen of the Universe, shares
some thoughts about sculpture
and her work.
A. It's not so much the making of art that has changed; instead, it is the way such work is funded. In Michelangelo's time, you had patrons such as the Medici princes who commissioned works on an ongoing basis. These days, artist are much more on their own in terms of supporting themselves.
Q. What about todays tools; how are they different from yesterday's hammer and chisel?
A. Of course, technology has changed. Today we use pneumatic, air-driven tools to narrow the stone's mass more quickly, more precisely.
I think Michelangelo would have welcomed today's pneumatic hammers; he would have been able to complete many more projects.Q. It's been suggested than an artist is "a person who speaks for his time, in the language of his time, to the people of his time." Would you agree?
A. Yes. And I think that 'creative honesty' is especially difficult today. Again, because they are forced to support themselves, month-to-month, artist today must always keep in mind the commercial aspects of their craft. Creative honesty demands that we not compromise, not give weight to anything beyond art itself.
Q. Working in Pietrasanta, among so many other international artist, do you draw inspiration from each other?
A. Not from each other, the creative process is so very individual. For most sculptors, it's a sense of the stone coming alive. In Pietrasanta, which means " holy stone," it is also the spirit of the place. Here, marble is 'in the air.'
Q. On this same point, the reowned 20th century sculpture, Henry Moore wrote that great works must have a "vitality" - an intense life of their own independent of the objects they represent. For him, art was a penetration into reality, not a decoration but an expression of life's significance. Do you agree?
A. You must remember that Moore looked at art in the abstract.
Working figuratively, as we are here, we cannot think of trying to make that figure more beautiful than God, or nature, has made it; it is impossible. The life and beauty of that figure remains within its own essence. It has a life of its own.Q. Other artists have argued that all art is individual, that masterpieces result not from progress in the field but from feelings that come as revelations to individual painters and sculptors. Do you feel this is true?
A. Yes, and no. As an artist matures, the process becomes internal. Young painters and sculptors need reference points, a sense of history they can build upon.
Q. What about the statue of Mary itself; do you have a timetable for its completion and unveiling?
A. Yes, by late-June I should have the original marble block pared to its basic shape. The detailed carving will take much longer.
I work only with the natural light of day, which streams from early morning across our side of the mountain here. But we expect to have the final piece ready for installation this November.Q. Do you have any final thoughts you might wish to share with our friends and Shrine Associates?
A. I have to say that working on this commission is a humbling experience - even a bit scary. To depict Mary both as the simple girl of Nazareth and as Queen is an extraordinary challenge. But it is enormously gratifying to know this work can mean so much to so many people in years to come.
This interview appeared in The Magnificat, a publication of Mary, Queen of the Universe Shrine, summer 1997 issue.
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