Fourth, traditional sculptors used only two main techniques: carving or modelling. That is, they either carved directly from their chosen material eg.
For details of clay sculpture in China, see: Chinese Pottery. For information about clay modelling in Ancient Greece, see: Greek Pottery. Definition of Modern and Contemporary Sculpture. The art of sculpture is no longer restricted by traditional sculptural concepts, materials or methods of production. It is no longer exclusively representational but frequently wholly abstract.
Nor is it purely solid and static: it may reference empty space in an important way, and can also be kinetic and capable of movement. Finally, as well as being carved or modelled, it can be assembled, glued, projected holographically , or constructed in a wide variety of ways.
As a result the traditional four-point meaning and definition of sculpture no longer applies. Previously, the history of art understood only two basic sculptural forms: sculpture in the round also called free-standing sculpture and reliefs including bas-relief, haut-relief, and sunken-relief.
Nowadays, new forms of light-related sculpture eg. Definition and Meaning of Sculpture Today. The sheer diversity of 21st century plastic art has left us with only one defining characteristic: three dimensionality. Thus the current definition of sculpture is something like this:. The History of Sculpture. Three-dimensional art begins with prehistoric sculpture.
Thereafter, sculptors have been active in all ancient civilizations, and all major art movements up to the present. For a detailed chronology of the origins and development of 3-D art, see: History of Sculpture.
Because of its three-dimensional nature and the fact it can be displayed in many more different types of location than say painting, there are a number of important concepts, and theoretical issues which govern the design and production of sculpture.
Here is a brief sample. The two principal elements of sculpture are mass and space. Mass refers to the sculpture's bulk, the solid bit contained within its surfaces. Space is the air around the solid sculpture, and reacts with the latter in several ways: first, it defines the edges of the sculpture; second, it can be enclosed by part of the sculpture, forming hollows or areas of emptiness; third, it can link separate parts of the sculpture which thus relate to one another across space.
Works of sculpture can be assessed and differentiated according to their treatment of these two elements. For instance, some sculptors focus on the solid component s of their sculpture, while others are more concerned with how it relates to the space in which it sits eg.
Compare Egyptian sculture with the works of Alexander Calder and Naum Gabo and you'll see what I mean. Another important element of most sculptures are their surfaces. These can produce quite different visual effects according to whether they are eg convex or concave, flat or modelled, coloured or uncoloured.
For example, convex surfaces express contentment, satiety, internal pressure and general "fullness", while concave surfaces suggest external pressure, an inner insubstantiality and possible collapse. Although most traces of pigment have now disappeared, a good deal of the sculpture produced in Antiquity eg.
Alternatively, sculptors carved directly from precious coloured materials, like ivory, jade, and gold, or combinations thereof. Colour can obviously endow a surface with differing attributes of inter alia texture, proportion, depth and shape.
For a guide to the aesthetic principles behind Oriental sculpture in China, see: Traditional Chinese Art: Characteristics. These regulate the approach of sculptors to such matters as orientation , proportion , scale , articulation and balance. Orientation To create a sense of harmony or disharmony in the sculpture itself, or between parts of it, or between the sculpture and the viewer, or between the sculpture and its surroundings, the sculptor usually works to a particular spatial plan or scheme of reference.
Such a plan, often based on a system of axes and planes, is essential to maintain linear proportion amongst other things. Thus for instance, the poses of human figures are typically calculated and created with reference to the four cardinal planes, namely: the the principle of axiality eg. Proportion How sculptors handle proportionality varies considerably.
Some eg. Egyptian sculptors observed hierarchic non-naturalistic canons of proportion eg. Gods the largest, Pharaohs next largest, citizens smallest etc. Other sculptors have followed more naturalistic but equally iconometric rules of proportion. By comparison, many tribal cultures employ systems which - for religious or cultural reasons - accord greater size to certain parts of the body eg. In addition, the specific siting of a sculpture may require a special approach to proportionality.
For example, a human statue mounted on the top of a tall structure may require a larger upper body to balance the effects of foreshortening when viewed from ground level.
The great rococo painter Tiepolo was a master at counteracting this effect when creating his ceiling frescos. Scale This refers, for example, to the need to create a sculpture in tune with the scale of its surroundings. Walk around any major Gothic cathedral and observe the great variety in the scale of the sculptures which decorate the doorways, facades and other surfaces. In addition, certain groups of figures, illustrating Biblical scenes, may contain several different scales: the Virgin Mary and Jesus may be similar in size, while eg the Apostles may be smaller.
Articulation This describes how sculptural figures and other forms are jointed:, either how the differing parts of a body merge in a single form, or how separate sections come together. The realist French sculptor Auguste Rodin created impressionist-style continuity in his figures, in contrast to the earlier Greek classical sculptors eg. Polyklitus and Renaissance sculptors who preferred distinct units of delinated form. Balance In freestanding figurative sculpture, balance involves two principal matters.
First, the sculptural body must be physically stable - easy enough to achieve in a crawling or reclining figure, less easy in a standing statue, especially if leaning forwards or backwards. If naturally unstable, a base must be used. Viewing 7 posts - 1 through 7 of 7 total. January 15, at pm But how do you critique a sculpture? What do you look for? January 16, at am Hmm, good question. I look at alot of things actually. These are some things that I factor in when I am judging sculpture. Yielding Default.
I agree with Jason — good question I think sculptures are in two basic categories… 1. Those that do not represent real life, in other words abstract Personally I find it easier to judge abstract due to the fact that is what my sculptures are.
Hi Sandra Good question :. Texture is very important to me…if I want to reach out and touch it I am usually hooked! Color can be an important factor but obviously not so much as it is in a painting. January 17, at am Great answers! January 17, at pm Would this be helpful to us beginners? Would it work? Or would it be too much trouble? You must be logged in to reply to this topic. Keep me signed in. Log In. Events WC! Site Discussions Wearable Art. Username Password Remember Me Lost your password?
Forgotten Password Cancel. Some sculptures are also considered statues, such as the massive Easter Island stone figures.
Statues can be sculpted, molded, carved, or cast creations. A statue is usually at least life-size, with many being far bigger. Two famous examples on opposite ends of the size spectrum are the Fearless Girl statue which stared down the famous bull statue on Wall Street for many months , which is four feet tall, and the Statue of Liberty , which comes in at a towering feet tall.
Many statues are also considered sculptures, depending on how the artist created it. If the artist used sculpting methods to make the statue, then it also qualifies as a sculpture.
More often than not, statues are created in the image of a real person, religious figure, or literary character. Although they can be beautiful, statues are not generally considered examples of fine art.
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