Warrior Poet

Emily Young (b. 1951) is a British sculptor best known for her figural works made from raw stone. Often acclaimed as ‘Britain’s greatest living stone sculptor,’ Young’s sculptures function as meditations on time, nature and memory, as well as a call to action for viewers to consider deeply their relationship with the earth.

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Although Young’s sculptural practice is continually evolving, she recently described her approach to stone carving in the following terms: ‘I free-carve in stone, tiny pieces of the planet; I find them in quarries, in stone yards, or in places of geological interest, including the hillside I live on in Tuscany. I work with pieces that speak to me in some way. They may have interesting forms in their structures, or wonderful colours, or evocative figurations on their surfaces. Guided by the stones, I carve them into heads, torsos and discs. I put into them something of my own mind, seeing in them the history of the creation of the planet […].’

Young has described Warrior Poet (2011) as being closely inspired by Classical history and concerned with themes of masculinity, poetry, fragility, mourning and deep time. The stone was sourced from the grounds surrounding her studio in Tuscany, Italy, and features a quite fine blend of quartzite and aragonite, which in turn gives the sculpture its white, pink and grey colouring.