Carving: A Subtractive

Process

Michelangelo

Carrara, Italy: where Michelangelo got his marble, and where marble is still quarried today.

Carrara, Italy

Inspirational Artists:

BrancusiMoore

Hepworth

Romanian1876-1957

Constantin Brancusi

“Constantin Brancusi was a Romanian sculptor who trained initially as a carpenter and stonemason. He settled in Paris in 1904 where his early influences included African as well as oriental art. ... [He] began an evolutionary search for pure form.” -from http://www.artchive.com/artchive/B/brancusi.html

Bird in Space, 1930, polished bronze

“Constantin Brancusi strips form to its very essence.”

-framemuseums.org

Bird in Space, 1923, Marble, 56 ¾ inches tall, 6 ½ inch

diameter

Self portrait of the artist in his studio c. 1933-34

The Muse1912. White marble, 17 3/4 x 9 x 6 3/4 inches (45 x 23 x 17 cm). Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 

Henry Moore"To be an artist is to believe in life." - Henry Moore

•British Abstract Sculptor, 1898-1986

•Known for his seated, standing, and reclining figures.

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Henry Moore, Reclining Figure, 1939, elmwoodThe Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase

with funds from the Dexter M. Ferry, Jr. Trustee Corporation

Three Standing Figures, 1953. Bronze, 73.2 x 68 x 29 cm, including base. Peggy

Guggenheim Collection. 76.2553 PG 194.

Aztec Chocmool figure, 900-1000 A.D.Mexico, Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City

Henry Moore, Reclining Woman, 1930Hornton stone

National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Purchased 1956

Moore’s work was inspired by a photograph of a pre-Columbian carving of the rain spirit Chacmool that Moore had discovered in a 1922 book on Mexican art. The horizontal, earthbound pose of both the Chacmool and of Moore's Reclining Woman powerfully suggests connections with landscape, an idea that would preoccupy him throughout his creative life.

http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/moore1920.shtm

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Henry Moore sculpture.

Reclining Figure (1951)

outside the Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge,is characteristic of Moore's sculptures, with an abstract female figure intercut with voids.

There are several bronze versions of this sculpture, but this one is made from painted plaster.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Moore

Barbara HepworthEnglish

1903-1975

Hepworth was a “sculptor whose works were among the earliest abstract sculptures produced in England. Her lyrical forms and feeling for material made her one of the most influential sculptors of the mid-20th century.”

-from http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/262392/Dame-

Barbara-Hepworth

Carving (sculpture), Blue ancaster stone, 1936 (BH 87), Private collection

Head (Ra), Polished bronze, 1972

Barbara Hepworth, Oval Structure, Wood, 1943

Spring 1966

Stringed Figure (Curlew), Version IIBrass and string on wooden base

Another artist you may want to check out is Paul Mount. You can google images. Also check out:

http://www.beauxartsbath.co.uk/Mount09/pages/Index.html

He was influenced by music and dance.

Objectives for Plaster Carving Project:

• Carve a nonobjective or abstract freestanding sculpture from a piece of plaster.

• Create concave and convex forms to create balance and movement. Think about the movement from one plane to the next.

• Consider organic vs. geometric shapes and forms, and how that contrast may create interest or a focal point. Consider the human figure and how you could use the gesture of the figure to create an abstract sculpture.

• Consider craftsmanship and attention to detail. Do you want a highly polished surface or do you want a contrast of textures.

Vocabulary•Convex (convexities)

•Concave (concavities)

•Void

•Organic

•Geometric

•Subtractive

•Mass

•Hammer and Chisel

•Riffler and Rasp

Art Elements and Principles of Design

• Space (positive and negative)

• Form

• Plane

• Texture

• Value

• Unity/Harmony

• Balance

• Movement

• Rhythm

Student Examples

Progression for finishing work:

Initial planning and cutting out of form with the fettling knife, paring knife, chisels, and plaster carving tools.

After shaping has been roughly determined, riflers are used to reform and more clearly define the sculpture's contours.

Medium sandpaper removes the marks from the riflers' which had made many fine, linear cuts. This is followed by fine sandpaper removing the previous marks. (Plaster should be completely dry.)

The final finishing step is using 1" strips of torn muslin, about 12" long. This strip is soaked,excess water squeezed out, wrapped around the finger and rubbed all over the entire surface until no marks or air bubble craters are seen. This "buffs" the plaster and creates a velvety smooth surface.

Last, 2 to 3 coats of milk is painted over the plaster. Yep, milk. This is absorbed into the material, helps to seal it and gives it a translucent shine.

You may also choose to use a textured paint or shine with shoe polish.

 * Quality in craftsmanship enhances the worth of a sculpture when excellence in finish can be observed. This takes a lot of time and effort, but it is so worth it!