The origin of sculpture Sculpture is from the latin word sculpere which means “to carve” the tools used in sculpture are varied and its changing throughout history. The sculpture has long been one of the most popular forms of the arts and one of the most beautiful representation of the humankind.
The most common people of sculpture during the ancient time is associated with religion. Another very iconic and famous piece of sculpture is the sphinx of the egypt .
Importance of sculpture The sculpture is a perceptive-generation of reality through the use of the dimensional form. As a specialized work of art, its objective is to exemplify a concept by forming visual equivalent.
Since the shape is the dominant characteristics of sculptures, the human body and animals have been its primary subject. They are constructed using bronze, clay , ivory as their mediums.
Types of Sculptures
Bust A bust is a sculpted and painted representation of the upper part of the human figure such as the head, neck, shoulders, chest or breast.
Bust
Statue A statue is a life-size or a larger size of a sculpture of a person or an animal, made of metal, stone or wood. The world’s tallest statue is the 420 feet (128 meters) Spring Temple Buddha in Henan, China.
Statue
Architectural Is a universal classification used to describe a structural design such as buildings, bridges, burial chamber and other big projects. It is from a brand of materials which includes carved stone such as brownstone, cast iron, machine pressed sheet zinc, terra cotta, concrete and other architectural supplies.
Architectural
Medium and techniques Sculpture techniques have the aim of providing practical and technical support through several procedures. These processes are either additive (added material) or subtractive (material is removed or carved out). Sculptures primarily use four basic technique.
Carving It is a procedure in which the artists cut away objects until reached the desired form. Various tools are used, depending the materials to be carved and the statue to which the work has progressed.
A.)Stone Carving –it is a type of sculpture which requires patience and planning. It is shaping activity of pieces of rough nature stone through the use of essential hand tools like hammer and chisel.
B.) Wood Carving –it is the art of shaping objects of wood using cutting tools.
Casting Is a method by which a liquid material is usually poured into a frame or pattern, which contains a hollow cavity of the desired shape, and then allowed to harden.
A.)Glass casting It is a shaping activity of pieces of rough natural stone through the use of essential hand tools like hammer and chisel.
B.) Slip casting It is a technique for the mass-production of pottery especially for shapes not easily made on a wheel.
Molding sculpture Is an additive process. It is the working of soft or plastic materials (like clay and wax) by hand to build up or shape to create a form.
Assembling Is an additive process of gathering and joining different materials to create an assembled artwork. An example of assemblage is Martin Puryear’s network of welded and sandblasted stainless steel tubes whose joints are bound together by strands of silver and patented bronze.
Basic Sculpture terms
A. Armature – It is skeleton-like framework used to support the building of paper – mâché , usually made or stiff wire. B. Assemblage-It is a three-dimensional art assembly of various materials, often taken from scraps, junk, or various natural or human-made objects. C. Base – It is the portion of the work on which the sculpture rest. D. Craftsmanship- It is a skill with which one uses tools and materials in producing art.
E. Plaster of Paris – It is an excellent white powder which sets hard when blended in the water. E. Freestanding -It refers to a method when a sculpture is intended to view from all sides. G. Manipulation – It is a process of shaping an object by a skilled worker. H. Replica – It refers to a precise reproduction of an artwork