Abstract Sculpture Examples

(3 Artists)Art 3/D Comp I

You need your SB. Information in italics you will need to record, as well as all sculptures.

Artists that used carving as a method to create sculpture

• Henry Moore• Barbara Hepworth• Constantin Brancusi

Henry Moore: look at these websites

• The Henry Moore Foundation• Artcyclopedia

Henry Moore Biography

• British Sculptor• 1898-1986• Son of a coal miner

Henry Moore Biography

• Studied at the Royal College of Art in London until 1925

• Attracted to African, Pre-Columbian, and Medieval art

Henry Moore Biography

• Worked in plaster, stone, and bronze

• Influenced by the contours of nature and the human figure

Henry Moore Biography

• Henry Moore is famous for working abstractly.

• He simplified objects by breaking them down into curves, angles, and shapes

Henry Moore Biography

• For example, his 1939 sculpture Reclining Figure is known for a series of holes that pierce the solid mass and transforms it into a kind of landscape of caves and tunnels

Reclining Figure by Henry Moore

• Carved from Elm (wood)

• 1939

Look at these images

• Wikipedia entry for Henry Moore

Two Piece Reclining Figure No. 5

• Bronze

Family Group

• Carved Stone

Large Interior Form

• Bronze

Barbara Hepworth

• British sculptor• 1903-1975• Was close friends with Henry Moore

and his art influenced hers.• Her interest in sculpture began when

she visited Italy in 1925 and learned how to carve marble.

Barbara Hepworth

• Was attracted to Egyptian and Greek art.

• She married British artist Ben Nicholson and they worked together to make successful art.

Barbara Hepworth

• In 1939 she began incorporating string into her sculpture.

Barbara Hepworth

• She also focused on working with wood.

• What would be the advantage to carving wood over stone?

Barbara Hepworth

• Title: Oval Sculpture• Media: Wood with painted white interior

Barbara Hepworth

• Title: Garden• Media: Bronze

Barbara Hepworth

• Title: Conoid Sculpture and Hollow II

• Marble

Barbara Hepworth

• Title: Wave

• Date: 1943

• Media: wood with white painted interior and strings

Barbara Hepworth

• Title: Two Segments and Sphere

• Date: 1935-1936• Media: Marble

Constantin Brancusi

• Born in Romania• Lived from 1876-1957

Constantin Brancusi

• Ran away at age 11 and worked as an apprentice to a cabinet maker

• In 1904 Brancusi left to study art in Paris

Constantin Brancusi

• Worked in marble, plaster, and bronze

• Experimented with the form of the egg, human head, and teardrop

Constantin Brancusi

• He used the egg (as a metaphor) to concentrate on ideas of creation, birth, life, and death.

• Title: The Newborn

Constantin Brancusi

• He also focused on variations of abstracting the human face and body.

Constantin Brancusi

• Title: Mademoiselle Pogany III

• Date: 1931• Marble• This sculpture

lacks a mouth and the brows merge gracefully into the nose.

Constantin Brancusi

• Title: The Muse• Media: white

marble• Date: 1912

• What does the word muse mean?

Constantin Brancusi

• Title: Bird in Space• Date: 1925• Media: marble,

bronze, and wood

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Brancusi exhibit in the Philadelphia Museum of Art

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Sketchbook Assignment

• As other students are mixing and pouring their cups, work on this entry in your sketchbook

• Draw out 2 idea sketches that demonstrate the elements and principles of design.

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• Try to focus on abstraction—the shape & form of your idea can remind you of concrete objects, but shouldn’t obviously resemble them.

• Think back to the images of Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and Brancusi—use them as inspiration!!

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Your 3 idea sketches must include:

• A “negative space” carved through the sculpture that you can see through.

• Colored with colored pencils to show what you want your finished sculpture to look like.

• Front and back views.

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• Tomorrow you will finish your drawings; together we will choose the best one.

• You will create a maquette: a small, scale model of your sculpture idea, It is used to visualize and test shapes and ideas without producing a final product.

• You will use modeling clay to make your maquette. 3

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Brainstorming

• You can start out by drawing a simple object, then simplifying it (removing detail, using simple shapes and curves).

• Or, you can think about combining simple shapes and forms: geometric or organic.

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