SCULPTURE

CHAPTER 3 OF HUMANITIES (ART, MAN AND SOCIETY)

JM BERNARDO

DEFINITION OF SCULPTURE
Sculpture

is a three-dimensional
form constructed to represent a
natural or imaginary shape.

It

has traditionally been divided

into two major categories.

1.

Free Standing (Sculpture in

the Round)

2.

Relief Sculpture

RELIEF SCULPTURE
A

relief sculpture grows out

of flat, two dimensional
background, and its
projection into threedimensional space is
relatively shallow.

The

back of the sculpture is

not meant to be seen, the
entire design can be
understood from frontal view.

SCULPTURE IN THE
ROUND/FREE STANDING

Free Standing sculpture

exhibits three
dimensional space in the
same way that living
things do.

It cannot be appreciated
from only a single
viewpoint but must be
circled and explored.

METHODS OF SCULPTURE
1. Modeling
2. Carving
3. Casting
4. Fabricatio

MODELING
Most

of the sculpture we
know is modelling
statuettes out of the
familiar medium like that
of a clay.

Sculptors

used clay but

they often build the clay
form around a metal
skeleton or armature for
added strength.

CARVING
Another

method used in sculpture is

carving either through wood or stone.

It

is a subtractive technique with some

difficulty in trying to shape materials
into the desired stature by removing or
peeling away unwanted portion of the
wood or stone, allowing the form to
merge.

The

tools used in wood carving include

saw, mallet, or hammer and chisel.

Once

shaped, abrasives like sand

paper may be used to finish and polish
the surface.

CASTING
Another

method in sculpture is casting.

It

is a sculptural process which allows

the sculptor to make lasting copies oh
his masterpiece or if he wanted to
create multiple copies of his art piece.

The

most common material used in

casting is the metal bronze.

Copper,

lead, plaster or plastic may

also be used in casting.

Casting

requires a complex process

unlike the more method done in
modeling.

FABRICATION
Fabrication

is another
method of sculpture wherein
a creation of art is done
through joining or fastening.

It

also includes nailing,

stapling, soldering and
welding.

Welding

is usually done by
joining pieces of metal with
an oxyacetylene torch.

THE MEDIUMS OF SCULPTURE

1. Stone
2. Wood
3. Granite 6.
4. Marble 7.
5. Ivory

Metal
Clay
8. Plaster
9. Glass
10. Jade

STONE
Is

a hard substance
formed from mineral and
earth material.

The

finished stone
sculpture is granular and
tedious in appearance.

Stone

is normally used
for gravestones in
cemeteries.

WOOD
As

a medium in
sculpture is perhaps
the easiest to carve
compared to other
mediums for the
reason that it can be
carved into variety of
treatment.

GRANITE

Is a granular igneous rock composed

of feldspar and quartz combine with
other minerals and is quite difficult
to chisel.

But then granite is good for large

works with only few designs and
details.

The egyptyian sculptures of

Pharaohs were mostly made in
granite.

MARBLE
Is

a limestone capable of
taking a high polish,
occurring in many
varieties.

It

is easier to carve than

granite because it is
relatively softer.

Sculptors

have used
marble for detailed
carving figures.

IVORY

From the tusk of an elephant

and wild boar.

It is a hard white substance

used in carvings, specially
billiard balls.

Faces, hands, and feet of

some images and sainta are
made of ivory, while the
body is made of wood and
painted.

METAL
Gold,

copper, silver,
aluminium.

Capacity,

ductility,
conductivity, and lustre
when freshly fractured.

Usually,

the metals used

by sculptors are gold,
brass, bronze, copper,
silver, and lead.

CLAY
Is

an earthy material
that is plastic when
moist but is hard
when fired and is
usually used in
making pottery
during early times.

When

clay is baked,
the finish product is
known as TERRA
COTTA.

PLASTER

Is a composition of lime,
water, and sand.

It is mixed into a paste that

hardens as it dries, then can
be shaped.

It is also used for coating

walls and ceilings.

Plaster is used expansively in

making mannequins, molds,
models and architectural
decorations.

GLASS

Is a medium that is brittle,

hard, non-crystalline and
transparent which is
produced by fusion.

It is usually consisting of
mutually dissolved silica and
silicate that contain soda and
lime.

It is used to make beautiful

yet fragile figurines that can
be molded into various colors
and shapes.

JADE

Is also a medium preferred

by some sculptors. It comes
in various types of quartz
rock, crystal, and alabaster.

Jade has been employer to

symbolize certain virtues
such as faithfulness, wisdom,
chastity and charity.

FEATURES AND
CHARACTERISTI
CS OF
1. LineSCULPTURE
2. Color
3. Texture
4. Volume
5. Perspective
6. Form
7. Style

LINE

Refers to the shape of the piece of art.

1.

Horizontal line peace and tranquillity, serenity,

calmness and stillness.

2.

Vertical line force and dynamism. It allows the

subject to stand.

3.

Diagonal line represents action for it shows

movement. The measure of action is shown by the
angle of the diagonal.

4.

Curved line implies grace, flexibility, movement,

and style. The curved lines of a mans body illustrates
grace which only curved lines could describe or
express.

COLOR
Hue

and value of the

sculpture.
The amount of black and
white in the sculpture.
Intensity and brightness.

TEXTURE
The

way objects feel to

touch.
Smooth or rough.
Texture is very real to
architecture and sculpture.

VOLUME
Means

solidity and thickness of

the sculpture.
The total space occupied in the
3 dimensions (length, width and
height).

PERSPECTIVE
Depth

or distance of an object.
1. Linear Perspective the figure
become smaller as it recedes into
the distance.
2. Aerial Perspective the figure
becomes fainter or less visible in the
distance.

FORM

Overall design of the

sculpture.

1.

Closed form shows the

elements of the piece of art
are contained within the
frame when the eyes
focused on the figure or
shape.

2.

Open form extends

viewing outside the piece of
art and the outside
becomes part of it.

STYLE
It

shows individuality in a sculpture.

It

also describes the differences between

likes and dislikes, temper, outlook in life,
and background of the sculpture as a
child, as an adolescence or as an adult.

Style

also express the sculptors mood,

feeling and emotions.