Sculpture

“Sculpture is the best comment that a painter

can make on painting”

Pablo Picasso

At the end of this chapter, the students should be able to:

1. discuss the origin of sculpture;

2. recognize the importance of sculpture;
3. demonstrate knowledge about the type, medium and technique of sculpture;
4. display an ability to make sculpture;

Input

The Origin of Sculpture

Culpture is from the Latin word sculpere which means “to carve.” The tools used in

S 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, scuplture 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 Khafreand 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

Art Appreciation 1|Page

(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 420 feet (128 meters) Spring Temple Buddha
in Henan, China.

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.

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 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.

Art Appreciation 2|Page

 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.
b. 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.
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.
f. 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.

Art Appreciation 3|Page