Carving Light and Body: Studies in Alabaster Meaning(s)

Carving Light and Body investigates the mechanisms by which artistic materials generate meaning. Following alabaster across cultures and epochs, Aleksandra Lipińska traces its journey from the quarry to the artist's workshop, and examines its roles and functions in the realms of art, natural philosophy, theology, poetry, and diplomacy. By exploring alabaster's qualities and the associations these have invited, she reveals its materiality as an agent that shapes the creation, perception, and significance of artworks. At the same time, she demonstrates that many of the notions traditionally connected with alabaster have been cultural projections, often created independently of its physical properties or natural characteristics.