Sculptor Henry Clews carved this stone grotesque. I actually think he’s pretty cute, but grotesques are what gargoyles are called when they’re only decorative, and not rain spouts. I just learned that! Incredibly, there are things I don’t know. This charming grotesque sculpture sits under a shelf mounted on a wall of the dining room in Henry’s castle. In 1918, Mr. Clews, who was from Philadelphia, restored a 14th century castle on the shore of the French Riviera. More recently, my artist human sat in that same dining room, painting this little monster daily as tour groups filed by.
These three paintings trace their own evolution from one color underpainting, to three color, to full color. This fellow makes me think of the Burden of Pride in Dante’s Inferno, carrying punishing stones on his back.
I can relate to the little monster since I can sometimes be a little monster myself. I know, you find that hard to believe as I have such an angelic face. Just roll over (or click, if on your phone) the image above, and you’ll see me doing my best imitation of a grotesque, while still looking fetching! You can make your home a castle and hang these paintings of a sculpture in your dining room. While he may look fierce (but not really), a grotesque is s’posed to ward off evil spirits. Wouldn’t you like that? Who knows, maybe even burglars too!
If you stay tuned, there will be more from this time my human spent in France.
Sincerely meow,
Lawtell the Art Cat
lawtellartcat@gmail.com
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my human artist, Dona Simons’ website