Outline
•What is Sculpture?
•Sculptural Techniques
•Materials/ mediums use in
sculpture
•Characteristics of the Materials
•Sculptural Concerns
Sculpture
•Sculpture comes from Latin word
“Sculpere” – meaning to carve. It
refers to the creation of three-
dimensional figures, forms designs
from a single block mass of
materials.
•Sculpture may be the oldest of the
arts.
Sculpture
There are two major sculptural processes:
1.Subtractive- unwanted materials is
cut away
2.Additive- construction of a figure by
putting together.
Example of Subtractive
sculptural process.
Duane Hanson
Tourists, 1970
Calder
Example of Additive
sculptural process
Sculptural Techniques
Sculpture is created in four basic
ways:
• Carving
• Modeling
• Casting
• Construction
Sculpture
Carving
Subtractive
process:
material is
removed
Mainly wood and
stone (marble)
Sculpture
Modeling
Additive process: material is added to
build up a shape
Clay, wax, plaster, paper-mache
Sculpture
Casting: a mold is used to form molten
bronze(or other material) into a desired
shape.
http://www.verylgoodnight.com/casting3.html
Sculpture
Casting: “Lost wax” method or cire-
perdue, often used for jewelry or small
sculptures
http://library.thinkquest.org/23492/data/bronze.htm?
tqskip1=1&tqtime=0318
Sculpture
Assemblage: assembling found objects
in unique ways.
Joseph Cornell
Sculpture
Kinetic Sculpture: movable parts (wind)
Alexander Calder: the mobile
Characteristics of the
Materials use in Sculpture
Materials use in Sculpture
1.Stone- hard and durable, weather and fire
resistant, but is heavy and durable.
a)Basalt and Diorite (black and hard)
b)Marble (finely-grained, with crystalline
sparkle)
c)Granite- (tough, coarse-grained but
suitable for bold effects)
d)Limestone- (Softer)
Materials use in Sculpture
2.Wood- lighter, softer, and cheaper, and
easy to cut.
3.Terra Cotta- which means “ baked earth”
is made by firing clay, as
in pottery making.
4.Bronze- is solid and too expensive. The
difficult process of casting bronze
is one of its disadvantages.
Sculptural Concerns
•Pictorial Sculpture- the artist, like the painter,
is more concerned with details than anything
else.
•Sculpturesque Sculpture- the artist is more
concerned with the medium/materials used.
•Built- up- the artist is very much concerned
with the medium/materials used but also with
details.
KINDS OF
SCULPTURE
Sculpture
Relief: attached to a surface or a
background
Sculpture
Free-standing or full-round.
-free standing sculpture that can be seen from all
sides.
Sculpture
Kinetic and Mobiles
-are moving three- dimensional figures, best
example are those which are suspended on
air.