FIGURE SCULPTURE

TEN FAMOUS FIGURE SCULPTURES

• The Discus Thrower, originally created by Myron, is a famous lost Greek bronze statue. It was completed between 460-450 BC. It is known through numerous Roman copies, both full-scale ones in marble, such as the first to be recovered, or smaller scaled versions in bronze.

Why do you think there were so many copies made of this sculpture?

What principle of art does this statue display?

TYHEThe Kiss

Do you think this sculpture is older or modern? Why?

What do you think this sculpture is about?

THE KISS

The Kiss is an 1889 marble sculpture by the French sculptor, Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). This sculpture has a interesting story to it. It depicts a 13th-century Italian noblewoman who falls in love with her husband Giovanni’s, younger brother Paolo. Having fallen in love while reading the story of Lancelot and Guinevere, the couple are discovered and killed by Francesca’s husband. In the sculpture, the book can be seen in Paolo’s hand. The lover’s lips do not actually touch in the sculpture to suggest that they were interrupted, and met their demise without their lips ever having touched.

THE STATUE OF LIBERTY

The Statue of Liberty is a colossal neoclassical sculpture on Liberty Island in the middle of New York Harbor, in Manhattan, New York City. The statue, designed by Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi and dedicated on October 28, 1886, was a gift to the United States from the people of France. The statue is of a robed female figure representing Libertas, the Roman goddess of freedom, who bears a torch and a tablet evoking the law upon which is inscribed the date of the American Declaration of Independence, 4 July, 1776. A broken chain lies at her feet. The statue is an icon of freedom and of the United States: a welcoming signal to immigrants arriving from abroad.

• Do you think the Statue of Liberty would be as popular if it were this big?

• What do you think this sculpture is about?

• Can you guess who the people are in the sculpture?

• How does the expression on her face make you feel?

PIETACreated by Michelangelo (1475-1564), the Pieta depicts the Virgin Mary holding her only son, Jesus Christ, in her arms. Prior to sculpting the Pieta, Michelangelo was not a very known artist. He was only in his early twenties when he was told, in 1498, to do a life sized sculpture of the Virgin Mary holding her son in her arms. In about two years, from a single slab of marble, Michelangelo created one of the most beautiful sculptures ever.

THE THINKERAlso from Auguste Rodin, is the famous sculpture “The Thinker” (originally named The Poet)

“The Thinker” was part of a commission by the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, Paris to create a monumental portal to act as the door of the museum. Rodin based his theme on The Divine Comedy of Dante and entitled the portal The Gates of Hell.

Each of the statues in the piece represented one of the main characters in the epic poem.

The Thinker was originally meant to depict Dante in front of the Gates of Hell, pondering his great poem.

(In the final sculpture, a miniature of the statue sits atop the gates, pondering the hellish fate of those beneath him.)

The sculpture is nude, as Rodin wanted a heroic figure in the tradition of Michelangelo, to represent intellect as well as poetry.

DAVID“David” is a masterpiece of Renaissance sculpture created between 1501 and 1504, by the Italian artist Michelangelo. It is a 17 foot marble statue of a standing male nude. The statue represents the Biblical hero David, a favored subject in the art of Florence.

The Story of David and Goliath

Originally commissioned as one of a series to be positioned high up on the facade of Florence Cathedral, the statue was instead placed in a public square, outside the Palazzo Della Signoria, the seat of civic government in Florence, where it was unveiled in September, 1504. Because of the nature of the hero that it represented, it soon came to symbolize the defense of civil liberties embodied in the Florentine Republic, an independent city-state threatened on all sides by more powerful rival states and by the dominating influence of the Medici family. The eyes of David, with a warning glare, were turned towards Rome. The statue was moved to the Academia Gallery in Florence in 1873, and later replaced at the original location by a replica.

CHRIST THE REDEEMER

This statue, located in Rio De Janeiro is considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is 98 feet tall, not including its 26 foot pedestal, and its arms stretch 92 feet wide. It is located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain.

The statue has become an icon for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil’s most famous monument. It was constructed between 1926 and 1931

• What principle of art does this statue best represent?

THE MOTHERLAND CALLS

Located in Volgograd (formerly known as Stalingrad), Russia – The Motherland Calls statue, or simply The Motherland is a statue commemorating the Battle of Stalingrad. Declared the largest statue in the world in 1967. At 279 feet tall, it is the last non-religious statue to be declared the largest; every record holder since has been a Buddhism-related sculpture. Compared with the later higher statues, The Motherland Calls is significantly more complex from an engineering point of view, due to its characteristic posture with a sword raised high in the right hand and the left hand extended in a calling gesture. 200 steps, symbolizing the 200 days of the Battle of Stalingrad lead from the bottom of the hill to the monument

Look at the tiny people!

MADAME TUSSAUSDS WAX FIGURES

Madame Tussauds is a wax museum in London with branches in a number of major cities. It was founded by wax sculptor Marie Tussaud and was formerly known as "Madame Tussaud's”. Madame Tussauds is a major tourist attraction in London and the other major cities, displaying waxworks of historical and royal figures, film stars, sports stars and infamous murderers.

MAN WALKINGAlberto Giacometti described his signature pieces–Man Walking, for example–as “involuntary” reductions, and the result of personal vision. He constantly found himself reducing and reducing until his figures were nearly “dust,” and despite the hatred he felt for the tiny figurines, he understood that he could not compromise his need to create them. For Giacometti, who labeled search for truth greater than the search for art, the sacrifice of physical representation was not only unavoidable, but also ultimately necessary in order to convey his understanding of the world.

EXAMPLES OF WIRE FIGURE SCULPTURES

LET’S TALK ABOUT PROPORTION

• What is proportion?

• Proportion describes the size, location or amount of one element to another in a composition. It has a great deal to do with the overall harmony of an individual piece.

• How big is this watermelon?

NOW DO YOU KNOW HOW BIG IT IS?

By looking at the apple,you can see that the watermelon is quitesmall.

SO WHEN IT COMES TO HUMAN

PROPORTIONS…• We use parts of the body to compare to other parts

to achieve proper proportions

• Most widely used is the head height and/or width

• Another technique artists use is to hold their pencil and use the straight edge to measure

• Watch Mrs. Kinsler as she attempts to show you what that means.

OUT OF THESE FIGURES WE SAW TODAY, WHICH IS

THE LEAST PROPORTIONAL?

The Thinker Man Walking Discus Thrower

HUMAN FIGURE

PROPORTIONS

• Arm span is roughly the same as height.

The elbows are even with the waist

Fingertips are halfway point of thigh

FOR THIS PROJECT…

• You will be creating a figure sculpture out of wire.

• We will begin by doing some figure drawing in class to get our ideas flowing. Maybe someone’s pose will inspire you for your sculpture!

• We will be doing 1 minute sketches. You have 60 seconds to completely draw the entire figure.

• Do not expect neatness

• Look at the figure as pieces instead of as a whole.

• Turn your eyes to Mrs. Kinsler as she illustrates what this should look like.

FOR HOMEWORK…

• Begin planning by creating two sketches in your sketchbook of how your figure sculpture will look.

• These should be much neater thank our classwork sketches and should include more detail.

• Will there be any props or outside objects added to your sculpture? Include this information in your sketchbook.

• Be different! Think outside the box!