Limestone and Art - A Talk by Prof Maurice Tucker

Limestone, a significant raw material for the world, has played its part in the history of Braford on Avon as a source of building stone and lime, and a place to grow mushrooms (the old mines). But beyond that, limestone has featured extensively in the history of art …. from being the first blank canvas for our early ancestors in caves and then the material for fine sculptures since Egyptian, Greek and Roman times, often using marble (cooked limestone).

In addition, limestone landscapes have long been depicted in paintings, notably from China for at least 2000 years, but also inspiring famous artists including Turner, Van Gogh and Cezanne. Limestone has also been instrumental in the development of printing, namely lithography, with Bath artist Thomas Barker involved in its development (~1800). This talk explores this fascinating rock from its origin to how it has been utilised in art through the ages.

Professor Tucker specialises in the field of carbonate sedimentology, more commonly known as limestones, upon which Bradford on Avon and much of the River Avon sits.

He currently works at the School of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol, but from 1993 to 2011 he held the position of Professor of Geological Sciences at the University of Durham, and from 1998 to 2011 was Master of University College, Durham.