Before becoming monumental, René Mayer’s sculptures are born in the palm of his hand. It’s not in marble or granite that he first shapes his forms, but in a supple, warm, organic material: terracotta. It is clay that captures the first breath of the work, the first movement, the first impetus. In his studio, Mayer shapes the clay with intense, almost meditative attention. He models, he scrapes, he adjusts. He seeks a balance between tension and stability, between weight and lightness. And it’s only once he’s found that the adventure in stone can begin.
Terracotta is much more than a simple working tool: it’s at the very heart of his artistic approach.
It represents the link between idea and material, between intuition and form. It allows the artist to explore freely, to experiment without constraint. He can create, erase and start again. It is in this dialogue between the hand, the clay and the eye that the volumes are forged that will later become stone sculptures, full of meaning and symbolism.
Terracotta: the key to sculptural expression
You might think that terracotta is just a transitional stage, a working tool before “the real thing”. This would be a mistake. For René Mayer, this material plays a central role. It allows a freedom that stone does not: a movement can be altered with a simple gesture, a line refined with a fingertip, a silhouette reworked without irreversible consequences.
That’s the beauty of this method: terracotta becomes the stage for the birth of form.
Anything is possible. The artist is not looking for the perfect finish, but for the right expression. It’s no coincidence that many of his sculptures – even those that have been enlarged – retain the imprint of the original modelling. The hand remains visible, even in the stone.
This process enables him to maintain formal and symbolic coherence, from the first gesture to the finished work. The aim is not simply to produce an object, but to convey energy, meaning and intention. And for that, terracotta remains irreplaceable.
An ancient tradition brought up to date
René Mayer’s approach is not just contemporary. He also draws on an ancestral tradition that goes back to the Renaissance and beyond. Modelling in clay, plaster or wax, then transposing into stone or bronze, is a method adopted by many major artists over the centuries.
- Michelangelo, arguably the most famous sculptor of all time, made his sketches in wax or clay. These models were used to prepare for carving the marble with remarkable precision.
- Auguste Rodin also preferred clay to capture movement and emotion. His assistants would then reproduce the models in plaster, then bronze, but the life of the work was already there, in the clay.
- Giacometti, known for his slender, fragile figures, worked with a sense of urgency, in plaster or clay. Only then would he cast.
- Even in the contemporary world, artists such as Louise Bourgeois and Antony Gormley use this approach: giving form to a malleable material before entrusting the rest to more durable materials.
By following this path, René Mayer honours the history of sculpture, while asserting his singularity.
A dialogue between hand, material and thought
What sets René Mayer apart is his ability to combine the spontaneity of modelling with a rigorous formal vision. His works are never anecdotal. They question our relationship to the body, to the gaze, to desire, to the bond between people.
Some figures have two faces, facing in opposite directions. Others take the form of busts with stylised organs, or even a simple eye, placed where a head would be expected. There are no embellishments or superfluities: each element is reduced to the essential. You can sense the influence of traditional African art, but also that of contemporary design. The result is a powerful, taut, silent aesthetic.
And it all starts with terracotta, the modest material that allows Mayer to explore, condense and synthesise.
When earth becomes stone: the role of workshops
Once the shape has been found, the work moves on to another dimension. René Mayer works with workshops that specialise in marble and granite sculpture. These are experienced craftsmen who have mastered the tools and constraints of the material. But they are not alone: Mayer supervises every stage. He checks, corrects, demands. He ensures that the original breath of life, born in the terracotta, is still perceptible in the stone.
The transition from clay to marble does not dilute the intention: it anchors it.
This process enables Mayer to produce monumental works without abandoning the energy of the initial gesture. It gives his sculptures a dual nature: at once free and controlled, sensitive and enduring.
A fragile material for a lasting work
This paradox lies at the heart of his work: using a fragile material to express a lasting idea. Terracotta is not there to last over time, but to bring out what is essential. Marble, on the other hand, is there to survive the centuries. One gives shape, the other gives longevity.
But in both cases, the work is the same: an exploration of human presence, otherness, desire and identity. Whether modelled in clay or carved in stone, René Mayer’s sculpture always speaks of the same thing: us.
Conclusion: a work rooted in history and looking to the future
The terracotta at the heart of René Mayer’s sculptures is not a slogan, it’s an artistic reality. It is a methodological, aesthetic and almost philosophical choice. By starting with clay, Mayer affirms that the artist’s hand remains essential, even in an age saturated with technology.
It reminds us that direct contact with the material, slow modelling and patient exploration are still the foundations of creation today.
And that this tradition, far from being outdated, can continue to produce powerful, contemporary, unforgettable works.
Through his approach, René Mayer weaves a link between the ancient masters and contemporary practices. He shows that emotion can be born in a lump of clay, and survive in a block of granite.
