While at Chateau de Chambord in the Loire Valley, I had the opportunity to take in some sculpture work of Spanish artist, Manolo Valdés.
A variety of his work was in and around the chateau, but I was especially drawn to his wooden sculptures.
At first I thought we stumbled upon a room full of real books, but it turned out that Vald
és' eye for the color and texture of wood made it possible for him to create the illusion of a furnished room. I suppose that works of art can be considered furniture, but I've described it as an illusion because none of the pieces are functional in the traditional sense of the objects that they visually describe.
I don't know if faux-furniture was the exact goal, but I found it fitting and poetic in this exorbitantly sized castle that was built more as a status symbol than a place to live and work.
These sculptural bookshelves probably get more handling than a shelf of real books would have gotten when kings passed through Chambord!
Here is a shot of one side of the chateau. It was truly massive.
