German Artist Crafts Lifelike Animal Sculptures With a Chainsaw

Sometimes the most beautiful art can come from that most unexpected tool. That’s certainly true in the case of Jürgen Lingl-Rebetez.

Lingl-Rebetez is a German artist able to create beautifully crafted  sculptures of animals – such as horses, owls, cats, jaguars, rabbits, and others – out of a block of wood mainly using a chainsaw (though he does refine the final works with a traditional knife and colored pencils). The sculptures are so detailed and lifelike, they almost appear to be moving.

Lingl-Rebetez became involved in art at an early age, and had a public display of his drawings at a Dachau gallery by age 20. After spending some time in mandatory civil service, he began a wood sculptor apprenticeship. With the guidance of Master Hans-Joachim Seitfudem, he began experimenting with the chainsaw as a tool, relishing the freedom this allowed when sculpting.

Thanks to social media, Lingl-Rebetez is becoming internationally recognized for his work. His page boasts nearly 7,000 likes and is full of photos of his work.

Check out some of our favorites below.