The article is an attempt to present the semantics of marble in the sacred Polish sculpture of Romanticism. Taking as its starting point the modern theory of art, it first emphasizes the special role of white marble in modern sculptural theory and practice, and then outlines the foundation of this judgment in the art of the classicist era, especially in the theory of J.J. Winckelmann. Together with the spread of classical tastes, the significance of this view for Polish modern sculpture is shown, in which, in accordance with Winckelmann’s taste, white marble was perceived as the noblest raw material, worthy of the images of the gods. In the Romantic era, following G. W. Hegel, marble was regarded as “spiritual” stone, the most suitable for the depiction of the sacred. This was expressed in the theory and practice of sculpture by such artists as Cyprian Norwid and Teofil Lenartowicz, who went to Rome – the capital of sacred art – to sculpt in this material. They were followed by other Polish sculptors who also went to Rome to work in marble. The article shows their struggles, which ended successfully only for T.O. Sosnowski. In his works, however, white marble from “animate” stone went on to become material suitable for making repetitive compositions in the spirit of Italian Purism. Marble evolved from being material suitable for the representation of gods to one used for commercial objects, which was perfectly illustrated by Norwid in his short story „Ad leones!”
Theory and Practice of the Long Novel
