Reviewing Methods and Materials - Sculpture

Reviewing Methods and Materials…

Three-dimensional works of art and design:

Sculpture.

Students can begin to consider the advantages of using three-dimensional sculpture techniques in order to represent observations, ideas and emotions.

Display environment, scale, supports:

Is the sculpture displayed outside or inside an architectural structure? Describe the location.

Describe the lighting environment in the exhibition area, and describe any shadows cast by the sculpture or sections of the sculpture. How do these shadows influence the viewer’s perceptions of the sculpture?

The scale of a sculptural representation can influence the viewer’s perceptions. Describe the size and scale of the sculpture.

Has the artist produced a relief sculpture that projects from a wall or another vertical structure? Is the work resting against a wall, a vertical backing board or an item of furniture? Is the work a low relief sculpture with shallow projections or a high relief sculpture where raised features project further away from the backing surface?

Has the artist produced a free-standing sculpture, so that the viewer can move around every section of the entire sculptural representation?

Has the artist created a small-scale free-standing sculpture? Has the small sculpture been placed on a large platform or plinth, or an item of furniture? Has the small sculpture been placed in a glass display cabinet? If the small sculpture is in a display cabinet, has the exhibition organiser used special support structures or lighting devices in order to present the work?

Has the artist created large free-standing sculptures that can be placed on the ground or a low platform or plinth?

How high is the top surface of a platform or plinth or item of furniture used to present the sculpture for display?

Does the use of a platform or plinth or an item of furniture for display purposes influence the way that the exhibition visitor views the sculpture?

Has the artist produced a free-standing sculpture that is suspended from a ceiling or overhead structure? Is so, describe methods used to suspend the sculpture.

Has the artist featured kinetic elements in the sculpture? Describe these elements. Does the movement depend on natural forces, such as the wind, or has the artist used a special mechanism in order to promote movement? Describe the movement of forms in the sculpture.

Sculpture techniques:

Has the artist used modelling techniques in order to produce the sculpture? Has the artist used internal armature forms in order to support the sculptural representation? Has the artist used papier mache pulp or strips, kiln-fired clay, plastic or oil-based modeling compounds, an air-dried modeling compound such as paper-fibre clays, or wax? Can the viewer detect the marks of modelling tools or other implements on the surface of the sculpture? Does the sculpture feature smooth areas or fine detail or heavily textured areas? Describe the use of shapes and linear elements in the sculpture. Has the artist left any natural or pre-existing surface colours visible, or have additional surface colours, two-dimensional collage techniques, or laminating techniques been applied to the sculpture surface? Does the sculpture feature a matte or gloss or even a reflective surface?

Has the sculpture been produced through the use of carving or cutting techniques? Have hand tools or power tools been used? Describe the materials used for the sculpture. Has the artist carved or cut out the sculpture in wood, stone, metal, plastic compounds, plaster, or wax? Have carving tools been used to smooth or texture surfaces on the sculpture? Have holes been carved through the sculpture? Describe the use of shapes and linear elements in the sculpture. How many holes have been carved or cut through the sculpture in order to create positive or negative shapes or spaces? Are the positive shapes more prominent than the negative shapes or spaces? If holes have been carved through the sculpture, describe the shapes created and the views that can be seen through the holes. Has the artist left any natural or pre-existing surface colours visible, or have additional surface colours, two-dimensional collage techniques, or laminating techniques been applied to the sculpture surface? Does the sculpture feature a matte or gloss or even a reflective surface?

Has the sculpture been created through the use of a casting technique? Has the exhibition catalogue or label described the type of casting techniques used? Can the exhibition visitor determine if a lost wax process has been used to create a casting, or if a pressed sand, plaster, plasticine, resin, plastic or rubber mold been used in the casting process? Has the final sculpture been cast in metal, plaster, glass, resin, ceramic slip, a plastic compound or wax? Has the artist used an internal armature form in order to support the sculptural representation? Describe the use of shapes and linear elements in the sculpture. Does the sculpture feature smooth sections, clearly defined areas of detail or textured areas? Has the artist left any natural or pre-existing surface colours visible, or have additional surface colours, two-dimensional collage techniques, or laminating techniques been applied to the sculpture surface? Does the sculpture feature a matte or gloss or even a reflective surface?

Has the sculpture been created through the use of assemblage techniques? Has the artist used an internal armature form in order to support the sculptural representation? Has the artist used paper, card or cardboard, wood, stone, metal sheets or cast shapes or wire, glass, flexible or rigid plastic, fabric, ceramic forms or found objects to form the sculpture? Has the artist used hard surfaces or soft surfaces to form the sculptural representation? Describe the assemblage techniques that have been used to form the sculpture. Has the artist used tearing or cutting processes, or folding and twisting techniques? Has the artist used metal welding or soldering techniques, glues, or attachment techniques such as the use of wire or fibre connections, pins, rivets, nuts, bolts, screws or nails? Has the artist used sewing techniques to connect sculptural elements? Has the assembled sculpture elements been placed together on a base or the ground surface? Describe the use of shapes and linear elements in the sculpture. Has the artist left any natural or pre-existing surface colours visible, or have additional surface colours, two-dimensional collage techniques, or laminating techniques been applied to the sculpture surface? Does the sculpture feature a matte or gloss or even a reflective surface?

Subject matter:

Has the artist used three-dimensional sculpture techniques in order to produce realistic representations? Describe the representations.

Has the artist used three-dimensional sculpture techniques in order to produce an abstracted representation? Describe the representations.

If the artist has produced three-dimensional sculptural pattern forms, describe the placement and scale of the pattern lines or shapes, as well as any distinctive optical effects.