If Stonemasons Could Talk

What would they say? From hand chiseling blocks of stone to shaping, polishing and leveling stones with the use of a wide range of sophisticated power tools, these unsung heroes have been romancing the stone since the ancient times, contributing to the development of historic and modern structures.  David de la Mano and Pablo S. Herrero pay tribute to these anonymous wizards by giving them a space to “breathe”, right in the heart of the “Golden City”, Salamanca, a historical city famous for its sandstone and outstanding constructions.

There must be some magic behind these rough hands that work the stone.  While architects may have originally designed a building, construction, statue or edifice, stonemasons however remain the skillful craftsmen who bring life to these structures that have defined our world and civilizations.  From the Egyptian Pyramids, to Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal, Petra, Uxmal, the Parthenon and the great Churches and Cathedrals of medieval Europe to name just a few, stonemasons have left their marks on this earth – and this is not said randomly, for if you look closely at the stones, you will find masons’ marks on medieval stonework, defining different types of stonework, stonemasons or construction techniques.

Geometric in form, these marks remain a source of mystery: they were either made by the lower standard masons whose job was to rough out the stone, or by highly-skilled masons who would undertake more sophisticated tasks such as detailed carving or molding.  Some say that these symbols define the place where the stones were shipped to out of the quarry.  Others believe that each mason had his own identity mark that he would pass it on to the following generation.

These marks could also be regarded as a form of quality control once a job is completed, a way for stonemasons to rightly sign off their work just like any artist would, but with a symbol that was theirs.  Some sort of a secret code, maybe?  Here, the plot thickens as some also believe that certain masons used these symbols as ritual protection marks for their work.  Who knows?  What all agree on however, is that these symbols represent a language known only within the early guild of these skilled workers.

Yet no matter what they mean, it is clear that “similarities between those used by the ancient Egyptians, the early Islamic architects, and the craftsmen of the Middle Ages onwards are striking”, Philippa Lee shares in her interesting and detailed study. Thus if stones can neither talk nor communicate, stonemasons surely could, for it is fascinating how geometric patterns are quite similar irrespective of the times, distances, civilizations and ages that separate the stonemasons or the craftsmen who carved them.

So, who were these fascinating immortal craftsmen who clearly seemed to have similar interests irrespective of geography and time, and what did these symbols mean to them?  And in the heart of Salamanca, what could have gone through their minds while working the famous ochre Villamayor stone and building the Catedral Vieja, the Escuelas Menores, or the Convento de San Esteban?

We rarely think of the stonemasons when we visit such impressive constructions, but in collaboration with The PICA association, the Department of Culture and the Town Hall of Villamayor, David and Pablo wanted to guide us towards the common workers and pay tribute to these anonymous craftsmen who remain a mystery to us all.

One could imagine them working relentlessly under the beating Salamanca sun.  Others might picture them basking in the sun in a field of wheat while on their well-deserved break, breathing peacefully while they imagine the people who would live in the structure they are completing – while they imagine the people who would give a life and a meaning to the stones they spent hours shaping with sweat and blood, with their very own rough hands.

There, in that field of dancing wheat, their head rested on the ground and their eyes fixating the golden sandstone of Salamanca, these magicians of the stone would then perhaps imagine the shape of the mark they would chisel on the stone as a form of communication with the ones who would live in that structure, a distant greeting – or maybe a blessing – a humble and simple wink, hello, and mark inspired from the surrounding nature, and that would hold a personal meaning to them, only to them, yet carved on such a magnificent and imposing structure that would be recognized worldwide and across all civilizations.

This is how the mural “Breathe” came to be.  It is “a reflective rest – one that connects you with nature, with the earth and with the universe”, David writes.  It is fascinating how humble and modest stonemasons left this world with some fascinating structures, yet they made no name for themselves.  They only left these geometric symbols that remain a mystery to us all but that must have meant the world to them.  Worldwide recognition is hardly what these common workers were looking for, and this mural is a tribute to them.

A symbolic tribute as the body of the resting man is adorned with a crowd of stonemason marks, all created by children from Villamayor and Salamanca who stenciled and freehand painted the marks, under the guidance of Pablo and David.  A recognition.  A tribute.  A sincere appreciation from this generation to the one of gifted craftsmen who left their marks on some historical constructions.

“Breathe” poetically shares the stonemasons’ tradition: no matter how common we may seem to others, we can leave our distinctive mark on this earth.  For in the end, all what matters is to connect with our fellow men, lie down in nature and simply, Breathe.

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by Myriam Shwayri via street art united states

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