Top Ten Sculptors


                 Each race has a different view of the art of sculpture.

                 Elvish sculture tends to appear abstract to othe races -- it is intended to
                 capture the "essence" of a feeling or experience and evoke that general
                 image.  Rarely is it used for specific representational purposes. Rodin's
                 more lyrical works are "a bit literal minded, aren't they?".

                 Dwarvish sculpture is diametrically opposite elvish scultpure. Excruciating
                 realism is the standard by which it is judged.  They are more than willing
                 to mass produce works for others as copies in stone or bronze of "garbage"
                 if that is what a customer desires. Roman portrait busts would be considered
                 "a good try".

                 Orcs just like their sculpture BIG.  Think Egyptian megalithic.

                 It should be noted that Cthonians consider standing a stone on a platform to
                 be the epitome of sculpture since the rock was created perfectly in the
                 first place. Seriously orthodox Cthonians would argue that it was also
                 created in it's proper place and that moving it is unneccesary and
                 distracting.

                 So, our list is biased towards humans.

                 10. Vorhannes Klibur, Seria, 942-998
                 Unusually, his primary choice of material was wood, and his painted temple
                 statues were ordered and installed throughout the midwest. Small,
                 non-religious subjects are serious collector pieces.

                 9. Kiganos the Elder, Empire of the Ten, d. -80
                 Little is known of the life of Kiganos the Elder, but his multi-group life
                 sized bronzes are the prize possesions of several Dukes and Princes
                 throughout the Northern Sea trading area.

                 8. Kiganos the Younger, Buchar, d. 23
                 The grandson of the elder Kiganos moved as a young boy with his father to
                 the far south of the midwest region after the fall of the Empire of the Ten.
                 His command of equestrain subjects meant that he was in great demand for
                 commemorative bronzes. Few works of his survive.

                 7. Phylixos, Buchar, 45-102
                 Carrying on the great artistic tradition of bucharese arts in the early
                 years of the age, Phylixos was a prolific painter, playwright, and sculptor.
                 His favorite subjects were dancers, but his fine series of temple friezes
                  three of which survive in Arden ) were considered his crowning achievement.

                 6. Donattius Domilus, Rigel, 546-631
                 By the mid-500s, the Rigellan artistic explosion was in full swing, and
                 Donattius, painter, sculptor, and architect, was the first bright star.
                 Several of his fine public buildings remain in Soren, including the current
                 Grand Hall at the Imperial War College.  The decorations are still original.
                 He particularly favored black and other dark stones, lending an interesting
                 twist to his work. During his long life he was very prolific and most courts
                 will have one or two examples of his work.

                 5. Korghad the Builder, Great Forest, 881-920
                 Korghad was, it is true, an Orc. And yet, the monumental works he produced
                 for the brief lived Orcish Regime in Whin is remarkable, not just for it's
                 size but for the emotion and energy displayed.  Two of his 50 foot high
                 figures -- Striding Orclord, now in Seria, and Gurz Adan, now in Rigel --
                 escaped destruction and testify to his sublime skill.

                 4. Lisel, Arden, 751-802
                 Lisel marks a shift in the artistic world. The torch of art burned brightly
                 in the five and six hundreds in Rigel, but by the mid-700s had shifted away,
                 never to return.  Her work is characterized by long, graceful curves, and
                 gently flowing folds of cloth.  Her work is widely admired in the present
                 day and dwarvish copies of some pieces are readily available.

                 3. Markos the Enician, Thorin, 772-858
                 A late contemporary of Lisel, Markos was influenced by her style but
                 exaggerated the length and line of his work, creating an immediately
                 recognizable, stylized look in everything from dogs to women.  Markos
                 studied briefly in Lisel's workshop in 798 and 800; rumor has it that they
                 were lovers.

                 2. Claud Debue, Arden, 900-978
                 Claud is known for oversize studies of small objects (hands, shoulders,
                 torsos) as well as bronze, clay and stone works. His very popular series of
                 caricatures of the gods is available in miniature dwarvish copies. He is
                 less well known as a painter.

                 1. Bonrotti, 602-701
                 Bonrotti is the last blaze of glory of the Rigellan tradition. Like
                 Donattius, he was a painter, a sculptor, and an architect.  Even dwarves
                 admire the craftsmanship of his work, and make pilgrimages to see his
                 buildings, most famously, the Temple of the Empire in Soren. His most famous
                 statue, Mankind in the New World, is widely regarded as the best statue ever
                 carved from a block of stone. Ardenese detractors will point out that
                 Bonrotti was also a famous drunk, a notorius womanizer, and had an incestous
                 relationship with his half sister.