Canova : Quatre Temps Vol. I : Les Sculptures De La Gypsotheca De Possagno

The special nature of the creative process in Antonio Canova's (1757-1822) work lies in the life-size plaster models that formed a transition between the initial design phase and the actual realization of the marble sculpture. As unfinished works, the plaster casts nevertheless contain all the power and potential of the finished sculpture.

This book, dedicated to the life-size plaster models preserved at the Gypsotheca in Possagno, Veneto, examines the sculptor's creative process through these works, which occupy a central place between the preparatory study of the work and its completion. The result of several years of photographic research in contact with the sculptures, this book offers an analysis of a meaningful but little known phase of Canova's work. It also reveals the link between light and the plasticity of the material in the work of Italian photographer Luigi Spina.