Name: ______

INTRODUCTION TO

3-DIMENSIONAL ART

As we explore the four processes of sculpture and produce sculptures of our own, it is important to remember that 3-Dimensional art has a long and wonderful history. It is tempting to forget about the past and focus only on our own art production, but looking at earlier sculptures and learning about how and why they were created is also important. In the coming weeks, we will look at pieces of 3-Dimensional artwork from a variety of time periods and places. You will likely recognize some of the sculptures and structures, as well as the artists that produced them.

Some pieces will appeal to your personal sense of aesthetic, and others may not. Everyone’s sense of aesthetic is a little different. We will explore the pieces chronologically, or in order from oldest to most modern. Keep in mind that much art was created before Neolithic people made Stonehenge many centuries ago, and that many pieces have been produced since Dale Chihuly finished Rio Delle Torreselle in 2001. We are not covering every style or time period in art; this list is just a small sampling.

This packet contains valuable information about the history of art and includes a list of terminology, concepts and time periods. This material will be covered during class, but it should be studied outside of class in preparation for Slide Quizzes, Content and Terms Quizzes and the Final Examination. In each description there is one “KEY SENTENCE” that is bolded and italicized. Be sure to know this information, as it will be required writing on Slide Quizzes.

The SEVEN ELEMENTS of art:

As we explore these 12 pieces, think about how each one of them uses the seven elements. Some of the pieces will use many of the elements, and others may use only one or two. Understanding how artists have used the elements in their work is a great way to learn about how art is produced and make your own work better.

Space: (studied mostly in Introduction to 3/D Art)

Space is the distance or area between, above, below, and within things. Artists show space or depth in many ways, including overlapping, size, focus, placement, intensity and value, and linear perspective. 3-Dimensional art depicts actual space (both positive space and negative space), while 2-Dimensional art creates the illusion of space on a flat surface. Space can be shallow or deep.

Texture: (studied mostly in Introduction to 3/D Art)

Texture is how something feels, or looks as though it might feel, if it were touched. Texture can be actual (real texture built up on a piece of art) or implied (a piece of art made to look like it is textured).

Form: (studied mostly in Introduction to 3/D Art)

Form is the use of three-dimensional objects. Like shapes, forms can be organic or geometric. Forms can be used to create actual space, not just the illusion of space.

Value: (studied mostly in Introduction to 2/D Art)

Having control over lightness or darkness allows an artist to show depth and tell the viewer where the light source is. Using shadows and highlights to create contrast is a common way in which artists use value in 2-Dimensional artwork.

Color: (studied mostly in Introduction to 2/D Art)

Color is in nearly every piece of 2-Dimensional art. Artists use color to control the mood of their work and to show emotion. The four color schemes (monochromatic, complimentary, analogous and warm vs. cool) are often used in paintings. The use of color can influence the way a piece of art is interpreted.

Line: (studied mostly in Introduction to 2/D Art)

Lines can be vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved or zigzag. Artists control line quality by making them smooth, rough, sketchy or broken. Artists control line variety by making them thick or thin, long or short, heavy or light depending on how they wish to depict their subject.

Shape: (studied mostly in Introduction to 2/D Art)

Artist use shapes in many ways. Shapes are areas on the picture that are defined by boundaries. Shapes can be geometric (regular edged, like squares, triangles or circles.) or they can be organic (irregular edged, like clouds, puddles or leaves).

3-Dimensional Art

a few basic things…

There are four major processes of sculpture:

1.  Modeling: The process in which a soft, pliable (bendable) material is built up and

shaped into a sculptural form. Generally done with clay, wax or plasticine. This is an additive process.

2.  Assembly: The artist gathers and joins together a variety of different materials to

construct a 3-dimensional work of art. Generally done with wire, metal, string, wood or found objects. This is an additive process.

3.  Carving: Cutting or chipping away from a given mass. Generally done with

wood, marble, stone, plaster or other hard substance. This is a subtractive process.

4. Casting: A melted down metal or other liquid is poured into a mold to harden. Many copies of the same sculpture can be made quickly by using casting. Generally done with plaster, slip, bronze, copper or gold. This is neither additive nor subtractive.

You should know what these terms mean and be able to list the four processes of sculpture. You should be able to look at a piece of 3-Dimensional art and tell which process of sculpture was used.

12 PIECES OF 3-DIMENSIONAL ART THAT EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW…

(Listed chronologically)

TITLE ARTIST YEAR MEDIUM PROCESS

1. Stonehenge Neolithic 2750 BCE (3) Stone Assembly

2. King Tut’s Mask Egyptians 1350 BCE (1) Gold and jewels Assembly

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3. Discus Thrower Myron 450 BCE (1) Marble Carving

4. David Michelangelo 1504 (1) Marble Carving

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5. Forever Free Edmonia Lewis 1867 (1) Marble Carving

6. The Thinker Auguste Rodin 1889 (1) Bronze Casting

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7. Reclining Figure Henry Moore 1939 (2) Elm Wood Carving

8. Bull’s Head Pablo Picasso 1943 (2) Bronze Casting

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9. Feather Plate Maria Martinez 1950 (2) Earthenware Modeling

10. Untitled Mobile Alexander Calder 1976 (3) Aluminum, tubing Assembly

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11. Jockeys and Horses Bruce Howdle 1995 (1) Stoneware Modeling

12. Rio Delle Torreselle Dale Chihuly 2001 (3) Glass Assembly

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The three basic types of art are representational, non-representational, and abstract. Most art falls into one of these categories. Representational is when an artist attempts to capture exact reality in their work. Abstract is when an artist shows recognizable subjects but distorts their appearance. Non-representational is when an artist makes no attempt to portray real subjects in their work. Each of the 12 pieces is labeled according to the guide below:

(1) Representational (2) Abstract (3) Non-Representational

SLIDE SET 1

TITLE ARTIST YEAR MEDIUM SCULPTURE TYPE

1. Stonehenge Neolithic 2750 BCE (3) Stone Assembly

Outer stone circle is 106’ diameter (likely built in four stages beginning around 2750 BCE and ending around 2100 BCE)

Stonehenge is a structure that is shrouded in mystery. It is a cromlech that has no subject. Stonehenge was built by Neolithic people on the Salisbury Plain in England. Their medium was rocks and there are many theories on how the rocks were carved, moved and assembled. Stonehenge was built without mortar to hold the pieces together. The rocks are placed in the shape of three circles; each one progressively larger, with a large circular ditch dug around the outside. Experts say that the ditch was dug first, and then the rings were built in three separate stages separated by hundreds of years. There were originally thirty upright stones, the tallest of which were about 24 feet high and weighed around 50 tons. Stonehenge was built using post and lintel construction. The posts are the vertical stones and the lintels are the hori-

zontal stones balanced on top. It may have been built for sun-worshipping rituals, as an observatory, a calendar, or as a place for planting and harvest rituals. The creators of Stonehenge were less worried about aesthetics and more concerned with how it would be used. Stonehenge is about the size of a large basketball court.

2. King Tut’s Mask Egyptians 1350 BCE (1) Gold and jewels Assembly

Piece is life-sized

Due to rules of succession, Tutankhamun abruptly became King of Egypt when two older men died. King Tut assumed the throne at the age of ten! King Tut was not a major figure in Egyptian history, and he died at age 19. He likely died of malaria, and he had a cleft palette and club foot. King Tut walked with a cane his entire life. This symmetrical mask bore his likeness and was created as a funerary case. This bust goes along with the ancient Egyptians’ ideas regarding the afterlife. King Tut’s tomb had many rooms filled with furniture, clothes, weapons, chariots, works of art, and other functional items. King Tut was actually placed inside three separate coffins, the outer two being made of wood and the interior one, weighing around 250 pounds, constructed of solid gold. We know about King Tut because his tomb is the only one discovered in our time that had not been robbed centuries ago. Howard Carter, an English Egyptologist, found the tomb in 1922. This smooth and polished piece is quite tactile.

SLIDE SET 2

TITLE ARTIST YEAR MEDIUM SCULPTURE TYPE

3. Discus Thrower Myron 450 BCE (1) Marble Carving

Piece is 5’ 1” tall Artist lived 60 years (490 BC-430 BC, age 40 at completion of piece)

Myron was a sculptor during the Greek Classical period that was famous for his sculptures of athletes in bold poses. He executed this sculpture over a ten year span. The statue shows a man in the moment before releasing a discus as he is about to swing forward and fling the object through the air. Myron studied human anatomy, which helped him create this lifelike artwork. Myron was very careful to accurately show the bones, tensed muscles and stretched tendons. This piece represents a major change in the evolution of sculpture. Before Myron, most sculptures of people were rigid and stiff—people were standing straight up or seated in a formal posture. Discus Thrower was different; it showed a pose of action. Many sculptors after Myron have used this idea. The athlete is poised in perfect balance in an asymmetrical composition. This is nearly a freestanding sculpture; the only support is the small post that supports the athlete’s left leg. The original work was a bronze cast, not a marble carving. Myron’s bronze original was melted down many centuries ago to make weapons; this is a Roman copy.

4. David Michelangelo 1504 (1) Marble Carving

Piece is 13’ 5” tall Artist lived 89 years (1475-1564, age 29 at completion of piece)

David was carved in Florence, Italy. The image of David was the symbol of this city because he defeated Goliath in a story from the Old Testament. David was a young Israelite soldier who was challenged to fight Goliath, a giant from another army. David won the battle with a slingshot and a few stones. The people of Florence wanted to demonstrate to the world that they would fight for themselves, even if they were a small city. In 1463 the city leaders commissioned an artist, Agostino di Duccio, to do a sculpture of David, but he gave up on the project. Thirty five years later, Michelangelo was hired and given the same piece of marble that di Duccio had started on. The statue shows David in his time of greatest courage, the moment before he fights Goliath. The content of this statue is courage and faith. David is standing with most of his body weight on his right leg, which is a contropasto pose. Before making a sculpture or painting, Michelangelo did many thumbnails to work out his design. David was originally meant to be placed high above ground on top of Florence Cathedral to be viewed from the street below, which explains why the scale is incorrect. David’s head is oversized and his feet are small in comparison. This piece is done during the Renaissance.

“The statue already exists inside the block of marble, it is my task to set it free”

-Michelangelo Bounarroti

SLIDE SET 3

TITLE ARTIST YEAR MEDIUM SCULPTURE TYPE

5. Forever Free Edmonia Lewis 1867 (1) Marble Carving

Piece is 3’ 5” tall Artist lived approximately 67 years (c. 1845-c. 1911, around 22 at completion of piece)

Edmonia Lewis was born in New York state. Her mother was Native American and her father was African American. Edmonia, whose birth name was Wildfire, was orphaned as a child, so she and her older brother were raised by members of their mother’s family. She attended Oberlin College in Ohio, and then moved to Boston to study art. Many Americans during this era did not appreciate art made by a minority, especially a female. She grew frustrated with American society and moved to Rome, Italy, in 1867. In Rome, Edmonia saw architecture and sculpture that inspired her to work in the Neoclassical style. Edmonia carved Forever Free while in Rome. This subtractive sculpture celebrated the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery in the U.S. The focal point is the newly-freed man breaking his chains and stepping on the ball that once held him down. He raises his hands as a woman kneels next to him, thanking God for their freedom. The content of Forever Free is triumph over adversity and hope for the future. Despite her skills, some doubted that a minority female artist could produce great art. To prove herself, Edmonia stood next to her sculptures during art shows and explained her work, proving to the crowd that she was indeed the sculptor. This piece is in the permanent collection at Howard University in Washington, D.C.