Contemporary Sculpture PDF

Sculpture is an art form that requires the artist\'s creative use of balance, skill in the use of materials, and physical strength. For many centuries, the common subject matter was the human figure, with materials limited to marble, metal, and wood. This has changed in contemporary sculpture where...

Sculpture is an art form that requires the artist\'s creative use of balance, skill in the use of materials, and physical strength. For many centuries, the common subject matter was the human figure, with materials limited to marble, metal, and wood. This has changed in contemporary sculpture where new materials and technology have given the sculptor more choices and flexibility in art-making. Sculptural processes are done in ways inost suitable to the available material. Stone can only be carved, drilled, abraded, and polished. Wood lends itself to the same processes more easily although modern technology permits it to be permanently bent and molded. Wood is appealing for its grain, color, and origin in a living tree. The disadvantages of wood lie in its dimensional instability-its tendency to warp or crack, especially when wet. Another medium that can be used for sculpture-making is metal, which can be modified in various ways for it to take the artist\'s desired form. More recently, powdered metal is combined with plastic binders so that it can be modeled and assembled by welding, soldering, and riveting, or with adhesives. Bronze has beautiful surface and color characteristics and is the most common casting material. Some sculptures are done in wax. It is not very permanent and can easily be changed or damaged in handling. It can also be deformed when exposed to heat. Terra-cotta or clay is more responsive than wood or stone. However, it possesses little strength in tension or compression and requires an armature for support. Clay is not in itself a permanent material. If fired, it is subject to the size limitations of a kiln and a variety of engineering considerations. Resin is becoming popular in the Philippines. It is used by many installation artists and sculptors. The Four Basic Sculpture Techniques Sculpture process can be either subtractive, where the material is removed or carved out until the desired form is visible or additive, wherein the material is added part by part until the form is completed Sculptors use four basic techniques: modeling, carving, casting, and assembling. Modeling Modeled sculptures are created when a soft or malleable material such as clay is built using an armature (metal brace) and then shaped to create a form. It is an additive process. Carving It involves cutting or chipping away a shape from a block of stone, wood, or other hard material. It is a subtractive process where the material is systematically eliminated from the outside. Casting When a sculpture is formed using terra- cotta clay, it is made permanent with plaster of paris. Casting it in bronze or metal accurately reproduces the form from an original clay or wax model. It is durable, can be transported without breaking and can also be duplicated. Assembling Sculptors gather and put together different materials, including found objects to create an assembled sculpture. Assembling is an additive process using \'adhesive, welding, and other chemicals for adhesion. Styles and Movements in Sculpture Technology, modern tools, and materials generate new artistic ideas and sculptural effects that have developed into different styles and movements. We now movements in sculpture. describe the more common art styles and Monolithic Sculpture It is carved from a slab of stone and is limited by the material\'s shape and size. This means that the sculptor can only make a form that is allowed by the material\'s shape and cannot exceed its size. Neither can the sculptor produce complex open forms and shapes where arms and legs are stretched. The form is taken as one whole closed form or shape. Constructivism It is popular among contemporary artists. It makes use of new materials such as plastics, plexiglass, metal wires, etc., and allows a break from the figurative representation of sculpture. The main traits of constructivism applied to sculpture are abstraction, transparency, interpenetration of sculptural form, overlapping of planes, and the employment of lines in tension to describe direction and movement. Sculptural Assemblage It provides a method to the contemporary artist who abandons carving, modeling, and casting. Several forms of found objects, including \"metal (wire, pipe, sheet, rod, spring, tube, bar, and plate) are put together through a single method of attachment: welding; and a single color and surface texture. Thus, the sculptor is free to deal with problems of volume and contour, movement and balance, illusions and reality\" (Feldman 1981, 347). Kinetic Sculpture It is a sculpture in mechanical motion. When they are suspended in the air, they the wind and touch each other. can produce musical sound as the elements move with Strong wind can also propel movement in a sculpture. Niche It is a reçessed place in a wall where a sculptured figure or bust can be located. It is important to think of niche sculptures as \"born from\" walls, conceived out of necessity to endow plane surfaces with dramatic meaning. The niche encloses forms physically and governs the angle of vision from which the sculpture can be seen. Psychologically, the sculpture is \"protected\" by its enclosure; it is removed from full exposure to the elements and can thus be perceived as something which requires shelter (Feldman 1981, 350-351). Box It is closed and can become a package, a portable container for something worth keeping. It is distinguished by its careful craftsmanship and connection to something. Grotto It is not associated with the wall and is more like a room. It relates instead to the vault or convoluted inner spaces of natural caverns. The shaping of interior space resembles a hybrid form of sculpture and architecture. Example Richmond Campil\'s Revelation presents a neat arrangement of staircases and cubes in one of the spaces that once served as stud farm for a herd of horses. As grotto sculpture, the place was converted into a pleasant looking room that gives the viewer an illusion of various levels all in one plane enclosed by an architectural structure. Another resort that is artistically designed is Pearl Farm in Davao which uses oversized furniture by Milo Naval in their lounge. Naval is a known designer of oversized furniture. Ma. Cristina Floirendo Brias designed the cushions with T\"boli patterns. The walls and dividers can look interesting when covered with buri palm fiber. Its texture breaks the monotony of the paint on the wall and creates a Buzz Cafe in Tagbilaran. friendly ambiance. This is seen in the dividers in The Buri craft walling at The Buzz Cafe Photo by Yam Zapanta. Art Appreciation Just like in any visual art, the viewer has to understand the qualities of contemporary furniture to be able to appreciate it. You have learned that contemporary furniture designers do not only consider form and function. They use technology, new materials, and measurements that fit the physical size, comfort, demands, and movement of the users. This will guide you in your appreciation of the contemporary furniture where you will focus on its form, function and materials. In Cebu, Henry Hotel has larger than usual chairs and dining tables. The long table has chairs of different heights. Lights are hanging from the roof that has no ceiling cover. There is also a chain that hangs from the roof that extends to the floor, which gives a feeling of dining in a ship in the absence of the ship crew. See how the guide is applied on Henry Hotel\'s dining table.