--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I used to think that the great thing…" description: "\"I used to think that the great thing about sculpture was that, like Stonehenge, it was something that stood against time in an adamantine way, and was ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/antony-gormley-14178_about_i-used-to-think-that-the-great-thing-abo_1607127.jpg" --- # I used to think that the great thing about sculpture was… ![“I used to think that the great thing about sculpture was that, like Stonehenge, it was something that stood against time in an adamantine way, and was an absolute mass in space. Now I try to use the language of architecture to redescribe the body as a place.” quote by Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/antony-gormley-14178_about_i-used-to-think-that-the-great-thing-abo_1607127.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/antony-gormley-14178_about_i-used-to-think-that-the-great-thing-abo_1607127.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/antony-gormley-14178_about_i-used-to-think-that-the-great-thing-abo_1607127.jpg) > “I used to think that the great thing about sculpture was that, like Stonehenge, it was something that stood against time in an adamantine way, and was an absolute mass in space. Now I try to use the language of architecture to redescribe the body as a place.” [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Sculpture once symbolized permanence; now architecture frames the body as space. **In simple terms:** Art shifts from static to spatial. Key Takeaway Reimagine bodies as environments. Themes art architecture identity Mood inquisitive creative Type theoretical inspirational When to use this quote - exhibition design - urban planning - performance art - personal health spaces Key Concepts spatial theory embodiment Questions to Reflect On - How does spatial thinking change your perception of self? - In what ways can architecture influence bodily awareness? A Different Perspective Risk of abstracting human experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Architecture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/architecture/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Great thing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-thing/) [Language](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language/) [Mass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mass/) [Sculpture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculpture/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The thing with sculpture is, 90% of the time, when I pass a piece of sculpture, it's in public or somewhere, and it's just,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lurie/the-thing-with-sculpture-is-90-of-the-time-when-i-pass-a-piece-of/) [John Lurie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lurie/) > [There's no such thing as sculpture or art or anything, it's just a bit of - it's just words, you know, and actually saying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-lennon/there-s-no-such-thing-as-sculpture-or-art-or-anything-it-s-just-a-bit/) [John Lennon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-lennon/) > [Defensively the Red Sox are a lot like Stonehenge. They are old, they don't move, and no one is certain why they are positioned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-shaughnessy/defensively-the-red-sox-are-a-lot-like-stonehenge-they-are-old-they/) Dan Shaughnessy > [I did photography, painting, and drawing, but I prefer sculpture. I like it because it's very physical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-did-photography-painting-and-drawing-but-i-prefer-sculpture-i-like/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Carnegie Hall is as good as they say it is. It's not like Stonehenge which looks great in books but then you go there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-burr/carnegie-hall-is-as-good-as-they-say-it-is-it-s-not-like-stonehenge/) [Bill Burr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-burr/) > [Sculpture is like farming. If you just keep at it, you can get quite a lot done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-asawa/sculpture-is-like-farming-if-you-just-keep-at-it-you-can-get-quite-a/) [Ruth Asawa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-asawa/) > [I like poor materials. I couldn't see myself making a bronze sculpture - it's not me. I like neon, because it's moving constantly and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracey-emin/i-like-poor-materials-i-couldn-t-see-myself-making-a-bronze-sculpture/) [Tracey Emin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracey-emin/) > [Perhaps these ancient observatories like Stonehenge perennially impress modern people because modern people have no idea how the Sun, Moon, or stars move. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/perhaps-these-ancient-observatories-like-stonehenge-perennially/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [“The great thing about growing up with science fiction is that you have an interest in everything.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/the-great-thing-about-growing-up-with-science-fiction-is-that-you/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [For me, it's a great thing to tell people anything is possible. When I was 15, people told me 'You're not going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/afrojack/for-me-it-s-a-great-thing-to-tell-people-anything-is-possible-when-i/) [Afrojack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/afrojack/) > [There's no such thing as too much. If there's too much, then that's a great thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fat-joe/there-s-no-such-thing-as-too-much-if-there-s-too-much-then-that-s-a/) [Fat Joe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fat-joe/) > [The great thing about country songs is the storytelling.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orianthi/the-great-thing-about-country-songs-is-the-storytelling/) [Orianthi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orianthi/) > [The great thing about letting people be true to themselves is they often do very good things indeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katie-hopkins/the-great-thing-about-letting-people-be-true-to-themselves-is-they/) [Katie Hopkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katie-hopkins/) > [I have a large watch collection, and classic watches are especially important to me. I had a silver Rolex, and I actually gave it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-berkus/i-have-a-large-watch-collection-and-classic-watches-are-especially/) [Nate Berkus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-berkus/) > [I think it's a great thing to support fashion and support designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delphine-arnault/i-think-it-s-a-great-thing-to-support-fashion-and-support-designers/) [Delphine Arnault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delphine-arnault/) ## More by Antony Gormley > [I always like to look for adventure when I go away. I have gone on several horse adventures with my wife - from Guangxi…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-always-like-to-look-for-adventure-when-i-go-away-i-have-gone-on/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [I would say that the whole way that I have approached the body is as a space, not a thing - not an object…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-would-say-that-the-whole-way-that-i-have-approached-the-body-is-as/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [How do you make the timelessness of inert, silent objects count for something? How to use the, in a way, dumbness of sculpture in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/how-do-you-make-the-timelessness-of-inert-silent-objects-count-for/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [We are not moving towards some kind of goal. We are at the goal, and it is changing with us. If art has any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/we-are-not-moving-towards-some-kind-of-goal-we-are-at-the-goal-and-it/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [I just want my work to be part of the elemental world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-just-want-my-work-to-be-part-of-the-elemental-world/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [Due to the failure of politics, which has become a process of middle-management, art has become one of the last open spaces to question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/due-to-the-failure-of-politics-which-has-become-a-process-of-middle/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [Cities have become places where we are controlled, by CCTV and other means, in the same way as machines are controlled. My works provide…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/cities-have-become-places-where-we-are-controlled-by-cctv-and-other/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [Western Australia is covered by granite, the largest single piece of Achaean rock that still lies on the surface of the, of, of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/western-australia-is-covered-by-granite-the-largest-single-piece-of/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [It doesn't matter if you can't speak the same language. If you have pictures, or better still, if you can draw things, then you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/it-doesn-t-matter-if-you-can-t-speak-the-same-language-if-you-have/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [I was educated by monks - I thank them dearly for the education they gave me, but I am no longer a Catholic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-was-educated-by-monks-i-thank-them-dearly-for-the-education-they/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [There is no question that creative intelligence comes not through learning things you find in books or histories that have already been written, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/there-is-no-question-that-creative-intelligence-comes-not-through/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [I want people to be excited about cooling towers and megasheds; they're as much part of our history as the rural barn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-want-people-to-be-excited-about-cooling-towers-and-megasheds-they/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [Art has to change things, and if it was immediately acceptable it would not be doing the job.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/art-has-to-change-things-and-if-it-was-immediately-acceptable-it/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [The very first lead work that I made is called 'Land Sea and Air,' and is the enclosure of primal elements within that kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/the-very-first-lead-work-that-i-made-is-called-land-sea-and-air-and/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) > [I think that the equator could act as a great equalizer for all life on Earth, celebrated as the great energy belt of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-think-that-the-equator-could-act-as-a-great-equalizer-for-all-life/) [Antony Gormley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) [Explore all 47 Antony Gormley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/) ## More About quotes > [If you ask an introvert a question, wait until she thinks about it. Introverts think before speaking, not through speaking. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-helgoe/if-you-ask-an-introvert-a-question-wait-until-she-thinks-about-it/) [Laurie Helgoe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-helgoe/) > [Joking about violence is not funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/perez-hilton/joking-about-violence-is-not-funny/) [Perez Hilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/perez-hilton/) > [I talk to my mates about our kids, being too tired and being worn out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-willoughby/i-talk-to-my-mates-about-our-kids-being-too-tired-and-being-worn-out/) [Holly Willoughby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-willoughby/) > [With 'Pretty Girls,' I saw the opportunity to talk not just about crime but what crime leaves behind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karin-slaughter/with-pretty-girls-i-saw-the-opportunity-to-talk-not-just-about-crime/) [Karin Slaughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karin-slaughter/) > [I write about presidents. That means I write about guys - so far. I'm interested in the people closest to them, the people they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/i-write-about-presidents-that-means-i-write-about-guys-so-far-i-m/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [That's something a lot of folks don't know about me - I'm pretty darn funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-jai-white/that-s-something-a-lot-of-folks-don-t-know-about-me-i-m-pretty-darn/) [Michael Jai White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-jai-white/) > [I learned a lot about myself at Oakmont.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-lowry/i-learned-a-lot-about-myself-at-oakmont/) [Shane Lowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-lowry/) > [I don't think about the press or the crowds or the other leaders of the race. The focus is only on myself. As soon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-neuner/i-don-t-think-about-the-press-or-the-crowds-or-the-other-leaders-of/) [Magdalena Neuner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-neuner/) > [Sport is not just about entertainment. It is equally about winning and losing, pooling and galvanising the energy of the youth, upgrading people's physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nita-ambani/sport-is-not-just-about-entertainment-it-is-equally-about-winning-and/) [Nita Ambani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nita-ambani/) > [One of the ways that I discovered my confidence and my ability to overpower is becoming a mother. Suddenly, my world wasn't about myself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lights/one-of-the-ways-that-i-discovered-my-confidence-and-my-ability-to/) [Lights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lights/) > [I didn't want to do 'Fashion Police' because I thought, 'This is stupid, this is beneath me, who wants to talk about fashion?' It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joan-rivers/i-didn-t-want-to-do-fashion-police-because-i-thought-this-is-stupid/) [Joan Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joan-rivers/) > [I just worried about my weight. Worried about my appearance and thought I wan't pretty enough to be a pop star. It was very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-durham/i-just-worried-about-my-weight-worried-about-my-appearance-and/) [Judith Durham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-durham/) > [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/) [Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/) > [There are a lot of kids out there copying and distributing movies - not because they care about seeing the movies or sharing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-perry-barlow/there-are-a-lot-of-kids-out-there-copying-and-distributing-movies-not/) [John Perry Barlow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-perry-barlow/) > [I have no physical genius about me. I can't dribble a ball and run at the same time, I can't do lay-ups - I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rich-mullins/i-have-no-physical-genius-about-me-i-can-t-dribble-a-ball-and-run-at/) [Rich Mullins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rich-mullins/) Browse all 26,122 About quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I used to think that the great thing about sculpture was that, like Stonehenge, it was something that stood against time in an adamantine way, and was an absolute mass in space. Now I try to use the language of architecture to redescribe the body as a place.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Antony Gormley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-used-to-think-that-the-great-thing-about-sculpture-was-that-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "About" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-used-to-think-that-the-great-thing-about-sculpture-was-that-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/antony-gormley-14178_about_i-used-to-think-that-the-great-thing-abo_1607127.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/antony-gormley-14178_about_i-used-to-think-that-the-great-thing-abo_1607127.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/e28/antony-gormley-14178_about_i-used-to-think-that-the-great-thing-abo_1607127.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I used to think that the great thing about sculpture was that, like Stonehenge, it was something that stood…” — Antony Gormley", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Antony Gormley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-gormley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I used to think that the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-used-to-think-that-the-great-thing-about-sculpture-was-that-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-gormley/i-used-to-think-that-the-great-thing-about-sculpture-was-that-like/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```