Of Stones, Myths, and Stephen Cox

Wir lieben es, nach Houghton Hall in Norfolk zu Ausstellungen zu fahren. Die Ausstellungen dort werfen stets mehr Fragen auf, als sie beantworten. Ist das nicht ein Zeichen großer Kunst? Dieses Mal besuchten wir die Ausstellung „Myth“ des englischen Bildhauers Stephen Cox, die uns zum Nachdenken brachte.

Gilgamesh and Enkidu by Stephen Cox in front of Houghton Hall

Wir haben uns gefragt, ob Kunst eine Aussage haben sollte. Nun, Kunst kann nicht nichts sagen. Da wir Menschen Sinnsucher sind, geben wir allem einen Sinn, sei es ein Farbklecks, ein Riss in der Wand oder sogar dem Schweigen. Siri, die eine ganz helle Schnelle ist, stellte lapidar fest: „Es geht hier nicht um Bedeutung, sondern um Stein.” Und plötzlich verstanden wir, als wir vor den monumentalen Skulpturen auf dem Rasen vor dem Haus standen. Wir berührten den Stein und wurden geerdet. Besonders faszinierte uns der farbige Aswan-Granit aus Ägypten.

It’s not about meaning – it’s about the stone

The stone sculpture invites you touch it, but please stay outside.

Cox selbst bezeichnet seine Arbeiten als „Bedeutung ohne Festlegung“ – eine freifließende Bedeutung, die nicht an Worte gebunden ist. Das fühlt sich stimmig an. Der Titel „Myth” weist auf alte Religionen hin. Cox’ Arbeiten sind speziell von den uralten Religionen Indiens und Ägyptens beeinflusst. Neben architektonisch minimalistischen Strukturen finden sich hier anthropomorphe Gottheiten, die den alten Mythen entsprungen zu sein scheinen. Für Cox ist Kunst eine Metapher für das, was die Religion den Menschen gibt: das Spirituelle.

For Kephren’ left room for discussion.
Gemini

Wir bestaunten den hochpolierten Marmor, der neben dem rauen Stein auf der anderen Seite der Säule erglänzte. Die Arbeit des Menschen stand im Kontrast zum unnachgiebigen Widerstand der Natur. Gleich darauf stolperten wir in den zauberhaften Kreis der Yoginis – hybride Wesen, halb Mensch, halb Tier –, die von alten indischen Texten inspiriert waren. Und dann waren da die feierlich strengen Rishis, Verkörperungen von Weisheit und Wahrheit, die aus minimal bearbeitetem Stein gefertigt waren.

Yogini

Die meist kleineren Werke von Cox waren im Inneren des Hauses ausgestellt, wo sie sich in einem bemerkenswerten Dialog mit William Kents opulenter Innendekoration befanden. Wie Lord Cholmondeley, der Besitzer von Houghton Hall, es ausdrückte, herrscht hier eine „Alchemie der Bereicherung”, die den krassen Modernismus von Cox’ Werken mit Kents vom 18. Jahrhundert geprägter Fülle verbindet. Es ist, als würden sich Jahrhunderte in stiller Kommunikation aufeinander einlassen – einen Austausch, den Robert Walpole, der ursprüngliche Besitzer von Houghton Hall, sicher begrüßt hätte.

Myth ließ uns nachdenklich zurück. Nicht so sehr standen Fragen im Vordergrund, sondern Möglichkeiten. Es ging um die ungewöhnliche Sprache der Steine, aber auch darum, wie der Mythos – alt und modern – unsere Vorstellungen und unsere Wahrnehmung selbst einfachster Formen beeinflusst.

137 thoughts

  1. Dear friends,
    I’m sorry to miss another spectacular exhibition at the magnificent Houghton Hall.
    The stones are breathtakingly beautiful, second to none that I have previously seen. I love the textures and Hanne’s photography let them shine.

    Thank you for bringing us closer to the language of stones, FabFour!

    “We leave with more questions than answers — and that’s exactly what we expect from great art.”

    “Does art have to say something? The trouble is, art can hardly not say something.”

    “it’s not about meaning — it’s about the stone.”

    “In the end, Myth left us reflecting not on answers but on possibilities.”

    The walkable area at Houghton Hall is huge. How did you cope, Klausbernd? Were you able to walk and see all of the vast spread outdoor exhibition or did you leave out the remote parts? Still, it’s admirable that you went, walked and inspired us with your thoughts.

    Will you get the next the Galbraith? I have ordered the English version today.

    All the best from Stockholm.

    Kram
    Annalena xx

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Annalena

      Thanks for asking. I could well walk around there. It was easy, as we always stopped and looked, and the ground was even. But I didn’t go to the farthest corners.

      We think it was all language of stone in ancient times, the pyramids, Stonehenge and all the other stone circles and standing stones. The language of stones is an ancient one, and pre our language we are used to today. It’s, or at least it was, powerful.

      Thank you very much for commenting.
      We hope you are well and happy
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
      xxxx

      Like

  2. We have visited Holkham Hall grounds many times, but I didn’t know about that exhibition as we have been away in Lincolnshire. The natural stone is beautiful, and the photos show it off so well.

    Love from Beetley, Pete. X

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Pete

      We prefer Houghton Hall to Holkham Hall, well, Houghton is art, Holkham is beach. We go regularly to Holkham as it is much nearer to us than Houghton, and Holkham beach is one of the greatest beaches of the UK.

      At Houghton Hall there is every year a special exhibition worth looking at. We blogged about some of the exhibitions.
      Houghton and Holkham are both Palladian style, a style we don’t like.

      All the best
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  3. Fantastic pieces in the photographs. I imagine they were even more inspiring in person.

    I particularly like the comment that it’s ‘meaning without definition’. That resonated with me.

    Wonderful write up of this artist and his work. Thank you for sharing it.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Richard

      Thank you very much 🙏 🙏

      The stones are even more beautiful than in the photographs. Some of them come from the ancient quarries the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans used or the old Indians. The colour and structure of the stone are partly like a painting.

      Keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  4. Dear Fab Four of Cley,
    I see you are still out to bring us some culture, arts and mythology. How wonderful to know educators from across the pond. I can not dare to try and fool you into believing that I understand Cox’s works, but I enjoy reading your thoughts. It is grand that such displays are at you beck and call.
    Please take care. I’ll look forward to your next post.
    GP

    Liked by 2 people

  5. I feel positively addle-brained when I look at most art. I must be a simpleton at heart, for if I can’t appreciate it rather quickly, I turn away. I was the kid who disliked analyzing literature when I was in school, too. To me, some things just need to be appreciated for the talent/gift they are, rather than trying to find meaning in creativity. Thankfully, there are those like you who do understand these things and are willing to share their thoughts with the rest of us. A most interesting place for you to visit, dear friends!

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Debbie
      Kb was raised in a family that was very much interested in art. Already as a relatively small child, he was taken to museums and galleries, which he liked. His sister is a specialist for modern art working in Germany’s leading museum for modern art. Dina and Kb tried to give Siri and Selma a relaxed feeling towards art. For us, art is important in our lives. And as we have seen lots of art, it’s relatively easy to relate to contemporary art.
      Thank you for your comment
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Ich muss zugeben, ihr Lieben in Cley, dass ich von Houghton Hall, den aussergewöhnlichen Steinen und von der ganzen Umgebung, die mir wirklich spirituell vorkommt, begeistert bin! Ich möchte dem ganzen Team danken, die für diesen tollen Beitrag involviert waren:)

    Liked by 1 person

    • Habe gaaaanz herzlichen ❤ ❤ Dank, liebe Martina. Houghton Hall und sein riesiger Park sind ideal für solche Ausstellungen. Die Skulpturen haben Platz zu wirken. So war es auch bei der Henry Moore Ausstellung dort.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Liebe Martina

      Der Park von Houghton Hall ist großartig. Er ist schon alleine ohne Kunst sehenswert.

      In dem Teil des Parks vorm Haus grast ein großes Rudel weißer Hirsche. Hintern Haus, wo die Skulpturen stehen, ist die lange Sichtachse enorm.

      Alles Gute
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  7. Thank you for this extraordinary post! Mythology has always been close to my heart, rooted in my own Celtic background. I was fascinated by how Stephen Cox’s work weaves the ancient with the modern. The idea that “it’s not about meaning — it’s about the stone” is such a powerful reminder that sometimes art grounds us before it speaks to us. I loved how you described the alchemy between the polished and the rough, the human hand and the persistence of nature — it captures so well the way myth continues to shape our imagination, inviting us into possibilities rather than fixed answers. For me, stone feels like the perfect metaphor — enduring, elemental, and a vessel for the myths that live on in us all. Thank you for the brilliant photographs, Hanne, that showcased the sculpture. I felt I was there with you. Sending much love and hugs to our dear friends The Fab Four of Cley.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Rebecca
      The language of stones is very prominent in the Celtic tradition, with standing stones and stone circles. Actually, Cox doesn’t refer so much to this tradition as he does to the Egyptian and old Indian one, the tantric tradition. Nevertheless, the language of the stones seems to be archetypal.
      Well, stone communicates ‘ancient’ in every tradition and ‘stability’. And this is what people want: ‘stability forever’. Just the opposite of what we have now.
      Thank you so much for liking Dina’s photography.
      With lots of love, hugs
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
      xxxx

      Liked by 1 person

  8. A lovely post, F4oC. I’m always amused by those who want to read more into art than the artist intended. We always have to remember that the artist had something in mind to communicate in the work. As you suggest, maybe it was just a texture or pattern that was the end goal. Thank you for sharing.

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Wonderful energy. Stones are special!! The photo of Klausbernd aside the stones has a special energy effect. He seems to be more the size of the stones as of the persons around.

    Greetings from the Glockengasse 🔔 🤗💫

    Liked by 1 person

    • Dear Joan
      Thank you 🙏 🙏 I wasn’t aware of it.
      It shows my connection to these stones 😉
      With warm greetings from the little village next to the huge sea
      Klausbernd 🙂

      Like

    • Dear Steve
      We couldn’t imagine that these big stone walls are one piece and the different colours are in the stone.
      Thanks and cheers
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Gern geschehen, lieber Pit.
      Wir lieben die Ausstellungen in Houghton Hall. Wir sahen dort u.a. Henry Moore’s Werke, Gormley und Kapoor mit seinem schwärzesten Schwarz. Wir haben ja über die alle gebloggt.
      Für uns ist das stets ein besonderer Tag, dort eine der großen Ausstellungen zu sehen.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom kleinen Dorf am großen Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Thank you, dear Maggie.
      We talked a lot about how to see this exhibition, and so we reached our explanations.
      It helps if you can talk about what you are seeing and how it touches you.
      Keep well
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Liebe Christiane
      Wir lieben solche Ausstellungen, bei denen es nicht sogleich klar ist, was sie wollen. Wir lieben die Kunst als Rätsel. Sie ist wie ein Rätsel mit vielen Lösungen.
      Danke, dass dir Dinas Fotos gefallen.
      Mit lieben Grüßen von uns allen
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  10. Is it something in the human mind which drives it to always seek a meaning in a work of art? While there very well be an intended meaning – and very often there is – but a work of art is/should be greater than the sum of its parts and, taking a very simply approach, the parts are the intended/interpreted meaning and the physical piece. At times, the meaning may not be clear – or not even present! – but a work of art engages us because it is greater than the sum of its parts and one can enjoy it without an understanding or even appreciation of any intended meaning. As an aside, I have recently many decorative pieces of “art”, those made by swirling various pierced buckets of paint in a swirling pattern above a large canvas. The end result can be appealing to the eye, a joy to behold even, but to imagine there was ever an intended meaning other than producing something eye-catching might be misguided. We can appreciate art without thought, without consideration, without explanation but simply by looking, gazing, being in its presence.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Dear Paddy
      Thank you very much for your great comment.
      There are two sides to approaching art. One says, if you understand and know about the artefact, the more you see and can enjoy it. On the other hand, one could enjoy art without understanding it. But there is the question of what understanding is. There is the absurd situation that understanding can be in the way of understanding.
      Anyway, thanks again for your inspiring comment
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Is there a parallel with Oscar Wilde’s – describing a cynic as a person who knows – “the price of everything and the value of nothing.” ?

      Liked by 1 person

    • Guten Morgen, liebe Belana Hermine
      Wir hatten auch das Gefühl, dass die Steine angefasst werden wollten. Besonders die hochpolierten Oberflächen luden zur Berührung ein.
      Habe herzlichen Dank für deinen Kommentar
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much, dear Derrick 🙏 🙏
      We liked this exhibition very much. For over five years, we have visited the exhibitions at Houghton Hall, and we have always enjoyed them.
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much, dear Fraggle 🙏 🙏

      Hanne honoured the stones with her photography. I quite often get my best ideas when answering the comments. The comments often inspire me.

      Keep well and healthy
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  11. I always enjoy your thought provoking posts and photos, Fab Four. Peggy and I spend a lot of our time in the natural world, which includes wandering among rocks that have been carved by the erosive power of nature and have created powerful sculptures easily open to human interpretation. We just returned from six months of exploring America’s Southwest where such rocks almost seem like the rule rather than the exception. I love the images created by the split rocks of the Gilgamesh and Enkidu sculpture and the imagination that goes into carving his yoginis.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Thank you very much, dear Curt 🙏 🙏
      When working with stone, you are always communicating with nature. Stone is basic nature. The stone is especially vibrant and colourful in desert and volcanic areas. America’s SW, like most of Egypt and parts of India, are alike in this respect.
      We saw such vibrant stones in Iceland. But what’s special here is that Cox took the stones from ancient quarries where the Egyptians and Greeks, and Romans took the stones for their buildings. In India, he also chose the ancient quarries. So he constructed a connection to the old times.
      We are happy to hear from you again
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

    • Dear Curt
      Indeed, it is. It’s not that obvious at first glance at most of his works, but the titles give a hint. But in some of his works, like the ring of the Yoginis, it is obvious (we only show here his drawing of it).
      Thanks for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
      We think that’s an advantage. If the connection to myth becomes too obvious, it easily becomes a cliché.

      Liked by 1 person

  12. Klausbernd, I love that you begin with an open mind, asking questions and letting the art speak to you. Looks like a fascinating exhibition and Hanne’s fine images tell the story along with your excellent narrative.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Thank you very much, dear Jane, for your kind words; they are much appreciated.
      The exhibition is worth visiting. It’s running one more week.
      Wishing you a wonderful weekend
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  13. Siri has it right – it’s about the stone. A lovely visit and interesting thoughts – as always. You really are an excellent couple/combo – thrilling stories and musings accompanied with great photography.
    Some of my best lectures were those on ancient myths. My students liked them too.

    Liked by 2 people

  14. I agree with your opening line: when you leave with more questions than answers, it is great art 😊. The photo talents of Dina shine through, along with the writing in capturing the essence of Stephen Cox’s art, especially the idea that sometimes it’s not about chasing after meaning, but being present with the raw, grounding reality of stone itself. Reading your post is like taking a course on art, history, and most importantly, imagination. Reflections on art as a space for open questions and possibilities, rather than tidy answers, is a perfect example. Nothing like going on a journey with you all through myth, material, and the magic of Houghton Hall. Sending warm greetings from Kamýk nad Vltavou (where summer has finally arrived 🙃!)… of course, it’s raining and 15 degrees all next week!

    Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Randall
      Siri first had to look in our big atlas, where Kamýk nad Vitavou is situated. Now we know, in Bohemia.
      Thank you very much for your comment. We like to reflect on great art. It’s a family folly. My sister is a specialist in modern art at Germany’s most important museum for modern art in Cologne. But already, my mother and my grandparents were great art lovers. And Dina and I influenced Siri and Selma in loving modern art – oh dear, is that manipulation?
      We think, trying to understand modern art helps you try to understand yourself and the zeitgeist. Of course, the question is what understanding is. For us, it is a reflection of what we see. The truth is concrete, but we are usually unaware of what we perceive and what it does to us. To become aware of this seems to be the lesson of modern art. The openness, you write about, is very important because there are always a lot of different ideas and possibilities to relate to the artefacts. It mustn’t be finite.
      Here it’s a grey day, 23 degrees and no wind, which is rare on this coast.
      Enjoy Bohemia – we only know the Riesengebirge from the Czech Republic. When we were students, we went there for skiing. We had friends there.
      Thanks again
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  15. I love it when I don’t know what I’m looking at. So often I walk away from an exhibition having seen the same thing expressed in 20 different pictures! These rocks, what on earth is going on? There is something ancient going on in and I would love to be able to touch them. Thank you for this fascinating post. 🙏

    Liked by 3 people

    • Thank you very much, dear Vicky

      That’s a fine definition of art we like. Great that we could trigger your curiosity. Cox knows a lot about ancient mythology.

      Happy Sunday
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 2 people

    • Liebe Karin,
      hier ist es noch spätsommerlich warm und sonnig. Das wird jedoch bald vorbei sein. Morgen ist Regen angesagt, den wir allerdings sehr benötigen.
      Mit lieben Grüßen vom Meer
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Thank you!

    I super love this post. You have shown me some fabulous art, and expressed piquing thoughts.

    If not for the Fab Four of Cley, I would never have been exposed at all to this beauty & intrigue.

    Again, thank you!

    🌟🌟🌟🌟

    Liked by 1 person

  17. As much as I enjoyed seeing the stones, something about this post kept nagging at me. It took a while for me to make the connection, but I finally did. I’ve visited Houghton Hall, or at least a portion of it. The Houston Museum of Fine Arts mounted an exhibit of items from the place, and the hours I spent at that exhibit provided a fascinating look at an entirely different world.

    As for Siri’s comment that “it’s not about meaning — it’s about the stone,” that brought to mind a wonderful line from the Archibald Macleish poem “Ars Poetica,” which concludes, “A poem should not mean, but be.”

    Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Linda
      Houghton Hall is renowned for its art collection and the large exhibitions that take place there annually. We blogged about the last three exhibitions.
      We didn’t know A. Macleish’s quote, but that goes in the same direction. Thanks for letting us know
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 3 people

    • Dear John

      It was easy for us to get into Stephen Cox’s art, as we come from a family who are huge fans of modern, abstract art. We have grown up with such art – and love it. It inspires us. We want art to be intellectually stimulating. But Cox understand his art as spiritual as well.

      Thanks for commenting
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • Dear John

      We don’t consider the oft-quoted ‘beauty is in the eyes of the beholder’ to be the most insightful quote. Beauty is by no means solely subjective. There are objective parameters for beauty, such as the golden ratio, symmetry and certain proportions. It turns out that what we consider beautiful depends not least on what we are used to seeing.

      Four years ago, we blogged about beauty and ugliness https://fabfourblog.com/2021/01/12/beauty/ and https://fabfourblog.com/2021/02/23/ugliness

      You are not written off, NO! We appreciate your comments and would like you to continue commenting.

      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

    • fantastic. I read all of this and have bookmarked it for further readings. A well researched and thoughtful analysis of beauty. Love the term ‘postcard banality’ and the concept of wabi-sabi — cheers, John

      Liked by 2 people

  18. Thank you for this insightful tour of these sculptures, The Fab Four of Cley. Stephen Cox’s quote “‘meaning without definition’ — free-floating significance, untethered to words.” struck a chord for me in a beautiful way. I like to think that art has something to say about the whole meaning of existence. It can be a feeling we recognize of oneself in the piece or much more, but there is something that draws us to the creative outpourings of talent such as Stephen Cox.

    Liked by 3 people

    • Dear Mary
      And this is art one doesn’t see in every museum. Extraordinary.
      Thanks for commenting. Have a lovely day
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

      Like

  19. Loved reading this eclectic post. Made me think about poetry and despite what the English professor pronounced, many poems have more than one meaning, as filtered by readers’ experiences and emotions. Well done..

    Liked by 2 people

    • Hi Sue

      Indeed. We like art that inspires us to think about it. Art one understands immediately is boring, isn’t it?

      Thanks for commenting.
      Wishing you a happy week
      The Fab Four of Cley
      🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 

      Like

  20. Wow, the walled garden of the majestic Houghton Hall looks amazing, and so do all the sculptures across its neatly manicured gardens. It goes to show you that natural stone is very beautiful due to its timeless elegance, durability, and unique character derived from its natural variations in colour, pattern, and texture. Thanks for sharing, and have a good day 🙂 Aiva xx

    Liked by 1 person

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