The erotic sensuality of the marble surfaces of The Three Graces reveals how a cold hard resistant material may we transformed into the illusion of warm flesh by the creative craft of the sculptor. When we see this work in person, it becomes very apparent how carefully Antonio Canova gives from to these surfaces using files and abrasives of varying degrees of coarseness.
The sensuousness of the flesh is so beautifully articulated that light falling across the figures conveys the illusion of life. This is especially evident where the fingers of one figure press into the soft flesh of another. Observe how the folding surfaces within the long strand of drapery that appears to tie the figures together contrast with the tactile, sensual skin they lie against.
