Scuplture

Sculpture

"You may have a lot of talent, but you need to develop that talent."

CLASS LECTURE: (February 23, 2017)

Methods

1. Modeling
• Additive & Subtractive
2. Casting
• Additive
3. Carving
• Subtractive
4. Assembling
• Additive

Additive or Subtractive Means

• Additive = The process of putting something on.
• Subtractive = The process of taking something away.

Modeling

• Clay
• Oils based
• You can't fire this type of clay. It will melt.
• Water based
• Armature
• An interior support system (metal pipe and aluminum wire)
• The clay is so heavy, it needs help keeping it up.

Casting

• Invented in Africa
• Bronze statues.

Steps in the Lost Wax Casting Method:

• Create mold of the original clay
• Remove the original from the mold
• Coat interior of mold with melted wax.
• Remove hollow wax replacement of original clay.
• Encase wax in plaster mold
• Melt wax from plaster mold
• Turn mold upside down and pour in molten bronze
• Remove plaster mold
• Cireperdue
• Cire = wax
• Perdue = lost
• Result : Hollow bronze identical to original clay.
• Cireperdue 
• Cire = wax
• Perdue = lost
• Patina
• The finish on a bronze sculpture
• Using heat and chemicals

Carving

• The process of taking away (reductive/subtractive)
• 
  

-End of Class Discussion-

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CLASS LECTURE: (February 28, 2017)

“In every block of marble I see a statue as plain as though it stood before me, shaped and perfect in attitude and action. I have only to hew away the rough walls that imprison the lovely apparition to reveal it to the other eyes as mine see it.” -- Michelangelo, about carving.

Carving

• The process of taking away (reductive/subtractive)

Assembling

• We were given the example of students who went to the dump, found interesting things, and made sculptures out of what they found.
• Similar to the pictures of the "muffler" sculptures.

Dimensions of Sculpture

• BAS (Low) RELIEF
• Projects < 50% from the surface
• HAUT (high) RELIEF
• Projects > 50% from the surface 
• FREESTANDING
• or Sculpture "In the Round" (seen from 360 degrees)

Low Relief Sculpture

• Almost flat
• Much like the face of George Washington on a quarter
• Trajan's Column, Rome 113 AD

High Relief 

• Sticks out much more than low relief sculptures.
• Example:
• "Elgin Marbles" Parthenon Frieze, Greek, 450 BC

Freestanding

• Something that can be viewed from all around.
• Example:
• The Augustus of Prima Porta, Roman
• Very difficult to do, to make a sculpture look good from every angle. 
• Takes great artistic skill.
• There was a Spencer W. Kimball sculpture that was absolutely terrible. IT looked great from the front, but from the sides, or anywhere else, it looked like a monkey-Yoda mixture.

The Human Figure

Contrapposto

• Mankind, from the earliest days, tried to commemorate human beings.

The Human Figure: Frontal vs Contrapposto

• Contrapposto
• Italian word for counterweight or counterpoise.
• In order for something to look balanced, it has to BE balanced
• Example:
• Mycerinus and Ka-Merer-Nebty from Giza

A Survey of Sculpture Both Ancient & Modern

Mobile

• Sculptures that move.

Sculpture Gallery

• Classical Influence, Representational Motives...
• Stone Heads, Easter Island
• Mount Rushmore
• Handcart Pioneers, Torlief Knaphus
• The Pieta, Michelangelo
• Sculpture as fun, Common People...
• Serious Artists...
• Duane Hansen
• Christo and Jean Claude