COURSE MATERIALS:

SCULPTURE
Sculpture is from the Latin word sculpere which means “to carve.” The tools used in sculpture
are varied and is changing throughout history. It engages our sense differently than paintings
because it occupies space as a three-dimensional mass through carving, casting modeling or
assembling materials (Sheldon, 1968). It has sought to produce artworks that are as permanent
and is working in durable and expensive materials such as bronze granite, limestone, marble,
and stone. More rarely, precious metals such as gold, ivory, jade, and silver were used for
chryselephantine works. More common and less expensive materials were also used for
broader consumption, like cast metals, ceramics, glass, and hardwoods.

The sculpture has long been one of the most popular forms of fine arts and one of the most
beautiful representations of the humankind. It was also used to represent societal concerns,
such as morality, politics, and religion (Witcombe, 1997). For many of years, sculpture has filled
many roles in human life. For example, the earliest sculpture was made to supply magical help
to trackers, to represent gods, and to hope of making their ancient kings becomes immortal.

Most common purpose of sculpture during the ancient time is associated with religion. Different
images like a human-made object revered for the spirit are familiar in many cultures. One of the
oldest sculptures discovered is an ivory statuette, dating approximately 30,000 BCE from a cave
at Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany called Löwenmensch (which means a“lion-human”). This
Paleolithic period statue is about 12” tall and depicts a human figure with a feline face.

Another very iconic and famous piece of sculpture is “the Sphinx” of Egypt. This sculpture of an
image of the pharaoh Khafra and is part of a funerary complex for the pharaoh. Egyptian
sculpture and all Egyptian art were on the belief in a life after death wherein the body of their
ruler (the pharaoh) was preserved carefully and buried with some goods with him to provide for
his needs forever. The Egyptians often combined features from various creatures to symbolize
ideas. For example, the head of the pharaoh Khafre is added to the bowing figure of a lion to
form the Great Sphinx. This type of masterpiece suggests the combination of human
intelligence and animal strength. The Great Sphinx of Egypt is an enormous sandstone
sculpture, measuring 240’ ft. Long and 65’ ft. High.

IMPORTANCE OF SCULPTURE
The sculpture is a perceptive-regeneration of reality through the use of three-dimensional form.
As a specialized work of art, its objective is to exemplify a concept by forming a visual
equivalent. Since the shape is the dominant characteristic of sculptures, the human body and
animals have been its primary subject. They are constructed using bronze, clay, ivory as their
mediums. Likewise, the making of Sculpture is with the idea of expressing religious, personal,
and political views. This kind of artwork is meant to create a sense of patriotism, pride,
greatness and spiritual respect. Statues and sculptures have always been an integral part of
museums and art history. They become more popular as decoration items in private homes and
office facilities. Sculptures and miniatures have also become more popular as decoration items,
and in the long term, valuable art investments.

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.
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 597 feet (182 meters) Statue of Unity in
the state of Gujarat, India.
Architectural. Architectural sculpture 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.

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 techniques, namely:
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 a shaping
activity of pieces of rough natural 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. It is done through
a specialized carving knife (used to cut or smooth the wood), the slicer saw (used to cut off
chunks of wood), the chisel (used for lines and cleaning up flat surfaces), and the gouge (used
in carving hollows, rounds, and sweeping curves).

Casting. 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. It has
two types, namely:
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.
c. Slip casting- It is a technique for the mass-production of pottery, especially for shapes not
easily made on a wheel.

Molding. 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. 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.
d. Base- It is the portion of the work on which the sculpture rest.
e. Craftsmanship- It is a skill with which one uses tools and materials in producing art.
f. Plaster of Paris- It is an excellent white powder which sets hard when blended in the water.
g. Freestanding- It refers to a method when a sculpture is intended to view from all sides.
h. Manipulation- It is a process of shaping an object by a skilled worker.
i. Replica- It refers to a precise reproduction of an artwork.

MEDIUM OF SCULPTURE
There are a number of materials available for a sculpture to work with according to the artists
interest in the subject- stone, marble, jade, and granite, to name a few. Each of them presents
an interesting motivation to challenge the sculptor’s creativity.
Stone - is the hard substance formed from mineral and earth material. The finish is granular and
dull in appearance. These are normally used for gravestones in cemeteries.
Granite - is a granular igneous rock composed of feldopars and quartz, usually combined with
other minerals and is quite difficult to chisel. This is good for large works with only a few
designs.
Marble - is limestone in a more or less crystalline state and is capable of taking a high polish,
occurring in many varieties. It is easier to carve than granite
Jade - is a fine, colorful stone usually green, and used widely in Ancient China. It is highly
esteemed as an ornamental stone for carving and fashioning jewelry.
Ivory - which comes from the main parts of the tusks of elephants is the hard white substance
use to make carvings and billiards balls. In the home of some well to do families in the
Philippines, faces and hands of images of saints are made of ivory. The bodies are made of
wood, carved and painted.
Metals - include any of a class of elementary substances as gold, silver or copper all of which
are characterized by capacity, ductility, conductivity and peculiar luster when freshly fractured.
Traditionally, the metals that have been the medium for sculpture are copper, brass, bronze,
gold, silver, and lead. Aluminum is a recent addition to the list
Bronze is another by product of metal consisting of copper and tin with color and is one of the
most universally popular metals for sculpture. Bronze as a material is strong, durable and
resistant to any atmospheric corrosion.
Brass - an alloy of copper and zinc is not popularly used by artists because of its limitations as
a medium. Although it has many practical uses, brass does not rust and it takes a brilliant
polish.
Copper - which has a peculiar brilliance, is used as a costing medium. This is basically shaped
by hammering. It can into relief forms.
Gold and Silver - are used as casting materials for small objects like medals, coins and pieces
of jewelry. Because they are quite expensive, they are used for either personal accessories or
religious adornments.
Lead - a bluish gray metal is used for casting and forging. With the help of a welding torch iron,
it can be worked into a variety of unique and exciting forms.
Plaster - is a composition of lime, sand and water. Plaster is worked on an armature of metal
wires and rods in addition to various materials and fibers. This is applied on walls and ceilings
and allowed to harden and dry. The medium is used extensively for making manikins, models,
molds, architectural decorations and other indoor sculpture.
Clay - is a natural earthy material that has the nature of plasticity when wet, consisting
essentially of hydrated silicates of aluminum used for making bricks and ceramics.
Glass - is a medium that is hard, brittle, non-crystalline, more or less transparent substances
produced by fusion, usually consisting of mutually dissolved silica and silicates and contains
soda and lime.
Wood - as a medium is perhaps easier to carve than any other mediums available because it
can be intricately carved and subjected into a variety of treatment not possible with stone.

Stone Tools for Art Making

Stone is formed based on the composition of minerals on it. It classified as Mineral growth,
Sedimentary, Metamorphic, and Volcanic. Sedimentary rocks shaped through the deposition
and compression of particulate matter. On the other hand, Metamorphic rocks changed from the
result of extreme temperature and pressure. Volcanic rocks are from molten igneous magma
(Prindle, 1994).
The tools made of stone were the instruments by which early man developed and progressed.
All human culture founded on the ingenuity and brainpower of our early ancestors in creating
sophisticated tools that enable them to survive. The first stone tools (eoliths- which are now
believed to be naturally produced by geological processes such as glaciation) and other types of
organic materials (wood, bone, ivory, and antler) were about two million years ago. The oldest
human tools were a simple stone chopper, such as those unearth at Olduvai George in
Tanzania. Many Paleoanthropologists (people who study the origins and predecessors of the
present human species) confirmed that the Paleolithic Man produced four types of tools in
creating an art namely: pebble tools (with a single sharpened edge for cutting or
chopping): Bifacial tools (hand axes); Flake tools; and Blade tools.
Pebble Tools (Pebble chopper). It is a first cutting device and considered as the oldest type of
tool made by humans. The tool contains a rounded stone struck some blows with a similar stone
used as a pounder, which created a serrated crest that served as a chopping blade.
Bifacial tools. It is a hand ax prehistoric stone tool flake with two faces or sides. These tools
may be oval, triangular, or almond-shaped in form and characterized by axial symmetry. The
cutting edge could be straight or jagged and is used as a knife, pick, scraper, or weapon. The
technique was distinctive of the hand-ax tradition of the lower Paleolithic period and the
Acheulian culture.
Flake tools. These are hand tools used during Stone Age. They are usually formed by crushing
off a small or large fragment then used as the tool. Both cores and flakes could be as stone
tools. New flakes were very sharp, but quickly became blunt during use and had to be
sharpened again by further flaking, a process called “retouch.”
Blade tools. These are a Stone tool created by striking a long narrow flake from a stone core.
This procedure of cutting the stone and creating the blades is called lithic reduction. After
chipping the blades, they integrated into larger tools, such as spears.