Art is pain

Of course they got paid . 5 years for a statue? That's insane.

They have to break the mold after the statue is made. I don't really remember where the statue was erected tho.

yeah also they had dozens of assistants

That's just the mold for the statue. Steps: create statue in easier to build material, foam plaster, or a combination. Build mold around statue. Separate mold and remove template. Put mold back together and pour in medium for final statue. Destroy template.

Or you could just take a block of stone and chip away for awhile and then sand. But silly me that would be ART and not fabrication.

If you're planning on making it in bronze or iron you'd need to cast it. No one's got the time or money to take a solid block of metal and trim it down.

Don't think I mentioned metals but you are correct. You have to sculpt in clay to cast in bronze.