Karl Prantl

The choice of material is of crucial importance to Prantl. He uses a variety of stone types such as limestone, sandstone, porphyry, serpentine, labradorite, travertine, marble and granite. However, the dark granite and white marble are particularly noteworthy. Granite, known for its extreme hardness and ability to reflect light, enables Prantl to create sculptures that are both robust and delicate in their play with light and shadow. White marble, on the other hand, offers a smooth, polishable surface that, in his hands, becomes a medium that absorbs and reflects light, making the stone appear almost weightless. Prantl's works are created slowly and methodically, far removed from the hectic pace of the modern art market. This slowness is a conscious statement against the fast-paced society and the ephemeral nature of the contemporary art world. A central concept in Prantl's work is the idea of "stones for meditation". These works are not only intended to encourage the viewer to contemplate, but also to lead them to a realization of the inner form and the idea materialized in the stone.Prantl's sculptures are not mere objects, but a means of meditation and existential union with a deeper truth.His artistic work is an expression of a unified, organic life process and reflects a global, universal vision.This vision includes overcoming egoism and human limitations, as is also the case with artists such as Brancusi and Mondrian. Prantl sees in this overcoming the possibility of a different form of existence, a path to a synthesis of the universal. From 1959, Karl Prantl also initiated and supported numerous sculptors' symposia at the St. Margarethen quarry, which helped to raise awareness of the integration of art and life. These symposia aimed to awaken the "sleeping stone" and bring art into public spaces in order to create new communities and integrate the sacred into everyday life. In 2008, Karl Prantl was awarded the Grand Austrian State Prize.