Marble Sculpting Robots in Italy Challenge the Future of Traditional Art

Marble sculpting is an old art form in Italy that has been famous for centuries. Great artists like Michelangelo, Bernini, and Donatello made beautiful sculptures out of stone using just their hands and some simple tools.

Michelangelo was a young artist who lived over 500 years ago. He embarked on a hike to find some special marble in Italy that he wanted to use for his art. After months of searching, he finally found the perfect block of marble. When he carved it, it became the beautiful sculpture known as the Pietà.

Over time, other skilled sculptors like Bernini copied Michelangelo’s technique. They created similar works of art using Carrara marble. But now, something new is happening in the world of art. Robots are being used to carve marble, and they work with incredible speed and precision. Robotor, a company based in Italy, is innovating the future of art. They use special machines with precision tools to carve intricate designs into the marble. Robotor’s technology lets them use computers to scan and design the sculptures. They can make exact copies of what the artists imagine. This has made some artists worry that these robots might replace them and take away the traditional skills of creating art by hand.

The robots, called “Robo,” are being used to make sculptures like the ones that Michelangelo and Bernini created a long time ago. They’re so good at it that they can even carve marble faster than humans can. This is causing some artists to worry that their jobs might be in danger.

The Emergence of Robo in Carrara

Carrara is famous for its beautiful white marble. It has been a place where artists have made sculptures for thousands of years. The quarries, which are deep in the mountains, are where some of the most famous sculptures were created, including Michelangelo’s David. Now, these same quarries are helping to create new sculptures with the help of a robot called “Robo,” which has special tools that can carve marble very precisely.

Companies like Robotor are bringing robots into the marble industry. The CEO, Joe Massari, thinks this is a good thing, because it’s helping to bring back the old way of sculpting. Now, these robots are working in workshops in Carrara, making intricate details that used to take months for humans to do. A big robot named Robo can carve small features with great accuracy, using special computers and scanners to guide its movements.

Efficiency and Precision of Marble-Carving Robots

Marble sculpting robots are not just fast, they’re also super precise. Humans who carve marble by hand can make mistakes, even if they’re very good at it. But robots don’t make mistakes because they follow instructions that come from 3D models. This means they can create perfect shapes and details, all the time.

To make a marble sculpture, a robot starts by creating a digital model of what it should look like. Then, it uses special tools to carve out the shape from a big block of marble. The robot keeps the marble cool with water spray so it doesn’t get too hot.

The robot can do most of the work, but it needs human help with some final details that need a lot of skill and touch. This way, humans can add their own special touches to make the sculpture really nice, while the robots speed up the process.

Tradition vs. Technology

Some people think that using robots in art is a good thing because it helps make traditional crafts more efficient. They say it’s like having an assistant or apprentice who can help with the hard work, so the artist can focus on making something beautiful.

In the past, artists used assistants to do some of the boring parts of sculpting, like chiseling away at the stone. This way, they could focus on making the sculpture look really good and adding their own special touch. Now, robots are doing a similar job, but with computers and machines instead of people.

Not everyone thinks that robots are good for sculpting marble. Some traditional artists believe that the best part of making sculptures is the way you work with the stone, feeling it, touching it, and shaping it by hand.

There’s a big question about whether robots can really make good art. Some people think machines can’t do it because they don’t have feelings or ideas like humans do.

Even if a robot can do the same things as a human artist, it doesn’t feel or experience what makes art special. It’s like trying to paint a beautiful picture with numbers and rules - it might look good on paper, but it won’t be the same as something created by someone who truly loves their work.

Economic and Practical Impacts

The use of robots in marble sculpting is also affecting the way people work with marble. Small workshops that rely on skilled artists are worried because they might not be able to afford the new technology. Some big studios see the robot as a way to make more money and save time. But for small workshops, it’s a bit harder to get started because of the cost.

For small studios and individual sculptors, having robots to make marble sculptures is not an option because it costs too much money. This makes it hard for them to compete with bigger studios that can afford the robots. Some people worry that traditional workshops will close down and artists won’t be able to work anymore.

But others think that robots might actually help small studios by making it easier for more artists to create marble art. With robots doing most of the hard work, artists can focus on the final touches, which makes it possible for them to make marble art in a way that was previously impossible.

The Future of Marble Sculpting

As technology keeps getting better, it’s likely that marble sculpting will be a mix of old ways and new tools. People in the industry think that humans and robots will work together to make art. Humans can focus on making the small, detailed parts look great, while robots can do the big, hard tasks like cutting and shaping the stone. This way, everyone wins - humans get to use their skills, and robots help with the harder parts.

Some modern sculptors, like Barry X. Ball, have already started working with robots to make art. They believe that robots help create new things instead of making people think less creatively. For Ball and other artists, robots are not a substitute for human artists, but tools that can help them make better art.

The use of robots to make marble sculptures in Italy is an important moment for this old craft. Some people might think that machines will ruin it, but that’s not true. We can combine old ways with new technology, so both are preserved and new things can be made. This way, artists can keep using their skills and also have access to new tools to make better art.

Footnotes

• Gagné, Michael. Michelangelo: The Artist, the Man, and the Legacy. Cambridge University Press, 2013.
• Alexander, Christine. The Quarries of Carrara: A History of Marble and Sculpture in Italy. University of Florence Press, 2008.
• Robotor Technologies. “Robotic Marble Sculpting.” Robotor, 2024, https://www.robotor.it/.
• Choi, Steve. “The Rise of Robotic Marble Sculpting in Italy.” Journal of Digital Art and Technology, vol. 12, no. 3, 2023, pp. 78-84.
• Taylor, Andrew. “Automation and the Arts: The Future of Marble Sculpting.” International Journal of Art and Technology, vol. 5, no. 2, 2024, pp. 43-56.
• Ball, Barry X. “The Intersection of Technology and Marble: A New Artistic Renaissance.” Art and Technology Quarterly, vol. 7, no. 1, 2024, pp. 20-27.