Experiencing Figures in Motion The process of experiencing a work can be transcendental as it can alter the emotional state of the viewer and enhance the space in which the work is displayed. Movement in sculpture can create a particular kind of experience for viewers. It can be created within the work based on the postures and materiality of the figures depicted but also externally, when encouraging the viewers to physically move around the work. Movement can also help enhance the quality of a collection and emphasise on the virtuosity and craftsmanship of the artist. The following essay will address the connection between action and experience in two works that are on display at the Wallace Collection: Statuette of Hercules and Cupid Blindfold …show more content…
1) was created by Francesco da Sant’ Agata in 1520 and is currently on display in the Sixteenth Century Gallery in the Wallace Collection. This sculpture depicts the nude figure of Hercules who is in the midst of swinging his weapon to launch an attack. This carved figure is extensively detailed and well defined. The artist has authentically rendered the tensed muscles in the figure’s calves, the strained veins in the arms, the curls of the beard. Furthermore, Hercules’ climactic expression, lifelike anatomy and dynamic curls combine to produce an experience with heightened sense of drama and unbelievable realism.The experience of seeing this work would have been much different if the figure were standing still, with movement the figures comes to life and the features that makes humans what they are stand out more. This depiction of Hercules can also be considered Hellenistic due to the idealisation of the figure and the posture, as the figure prepares to swing, he leans back and shifts his weight to gain balance for the attack - this is known as contrapposto. However, this also enable the viewers to imagine how the action would then unfold and how he would positioned after the action has been …show more content…
According to Dr Adriano Aymonino from the Department of Art History at University of Buckingham, brass is similar to bronze, the difference would be in the chemical make up, bronze is made combining copper and tin while brass is made when combining copper with zinc. The proportions would have to be 85-95 percent copper to 5-15% tin or zinc. Bronze also has a lower melting point and tin is more malleable. However, the distinction between brass and bronze did not take place until the 17th century which is why most of the sculptures made during the Renaissance period are made from brass. In terms of production, brass and bronze are cast using the same techniques, the most popular one, especially for statuettes, would be the lost wax process. In this process a model is created in wax - this is considered the true and original art work - which is then embedded in an external mould of clay. This would then be baked in a kiln for approximately a day until the wax melts in which case the exterior soul would be placed upside down and the bronze would then be poured in. The artist would then wait for the bronze to solidify and proceed to break the clay mould. The statue would then be polished and the process of chasing would
At first glance, the pottery appears to be somewhat simple but it does have a unique appeal. The calm, innocent, and humble appearance while in a painful moment is unprecedented, and it was enough to let the viewer admire and fall in love with this sculpture and its meaning. The distinctive character of glazed terracotta is the smooth, bright, often polychrome cover that has largely contributed to the success of such artifacts, and which recalls, in its plastic compositions, the works by Verrocchio and Filippo Lippi. However, Giovanni‘s art in this sculpture is elegant, remarkable, and a mix of the sophisticated religious themes with antique mannerisms and with the monumental emphasis.
In Ancient Greek and Roman times, Romans often made replicas of Greek statues. The Greek were extremely good at art and the Romans wanted to possess the art themselves and thus, created copies of the most famous and beautiful Greek sculptures. However, it seems to be for the better since most Greek statues were created in bronze and were later repurposed for war. The Roman duplicates of these statues remained, due to their stone medium. What there is to ponder, however, is if there are any differences between a Greek and a Roman statue. “The Seated Boxer” is a famous work of Greek sculpture that remained preserved so that we might be able to view it
The process by which this particular statue was created involved using a method developed by Kaikei, a Japanese sculptor. It was a groundbreaking process that involved carving different pieces of wood separately and then joining them together (“Amida”). Instead of using a single object for creating a sculpture, multiple parts could be used to make the statue easier to construct and put together. After the parts were all joined together, the statue was covered in a lacquer finish and gilt was added to the face to give it the golden look.
Anticipated similarities exist between the Roman copy of Doryphorus and Donatello’s David, for the former replicates a product of Classical Greece while the latter is reminiscent of this artistic epoch (The Renaissance was a “re-birth” of this classical form). However, though formal qualities of Classical Greece may be present in David, they are uncharacteristically fashioned; therefore, major degrees of difference are established in terms of characterization. While Doryphorus is a typical example of reconciling idealism and naturalism, Polykleitos does not provide a depth of narrative subtext to this figure. On the other hand, Donatello overtly characterizes David through his effeminate if not androgynous form to deliver a powerful narrative (Duro). From the stance and posture of each sculpture to the use of nudity, Polykleitos’s Doryphorus and Donatello’s David present similarities accountable for in a historical context; however, the obvious structural differences must be
The Shang Dynasty invented and, over the years, perfected the technique of casting a bronze vessel from a clay mold assembly, which this wine vessel has also been made from using those techniques (Cantor). This mold was formed around a model of the vessel and was then cut into sections that were carved or impressed in the desired design, in this case the braided or grid design, on the inner or outer surfaces. The decorated clay piece-mold was then fired and reassembled around a clay core. Small bronze spacers were used to hold the piece-mold and the clay core apart. Then, molten bronze was poured into the mold. Using this piece-mold casting technique helped the bronze worker to achieve greater sharpness and definition in any intricate design
Sculpture is a medium that artists in ancient Greek commonly used to express spoken truths in an unspoken form. Every piece of ancient Greek sculpture has more than what the eye sees to explain the story behind the [in this case] marble.
With works in every known medium, from every part of the world, throughout all points in history, exploring the vast collection of the Museum of Modern Art was an overwhelming experience. The objects in the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts are an important historical collection, reflecting the development of a number of art forms in Western Europe. The department's holdings covered sculpture in many sizes, woodwork and furniture, ceramics and glass, jewelry, and tapestries. The gallery attracted my appreciation of the realistic qualities of the human body often portrayed in sculpture.
Bronzes are made by making two molds (one larger than the other), pouring melted bronze in...
The Terme Boxer or Boxer at Rest is a bronze statue with copper inlays that is cast in a manner representative of early Hellenistic statues. The exact location that this piece was used in is currently uncertain as the bronze statue was located in a form of storage within the foundations of an ancient unidentified building. Estimates regarding the date on this statue are mixed and generally fall loosely between 100 to 400c.e.. Following past examples of this type of statuary indicates that most likely this statue would have been located in a sanctuary or public commons like a bath to celebrate the athlete in question.
The full power of Donatello first appeared in two marble statues, “St. Mark” and “St. George” which were completed in 1415. “St. George” has been replaced and is now in the Bargello. For the first time the human body is rendered as a functional organism. The same qualities came in the series of five prophet statues that Donatello did beginning in 1416. The statues were of beardless and bearded prophets as well as a group of Abraham and Isaac in 1416-1421 and also the “Zuccone” and “Jeremiah”. “Zuccone” is famous as the finest of the campanile statues and one of the artist’s masterpieces. Donatello invented his own bold new mode of relief in his marble panel “St. George Killi...
An analysis of Mycerinus and Kha-merer-nebty II and Augustus of Primaporta, reveals that there are many similarities, but also many differences between these two pieces of sculpture. These similarities and differences are found in the subject, style, and function of both works of art.
The masculine and idealized form of the human body is an ever-present characteristic of Michelangelo’s sculpture. Many people over the years have speculated why this may be, but there has never been a definitive answer, and probably never will be. Through all of his sculpture there is a distinct classical influence, with both his subject matter and his inclination to artistically create something beautiful. In most cases, for Michelangelo, this means the idealized human figure, seeping with contraposto. This revival of classical influences is common for a Renaissance artisan, but the new, exaggerated form of the human body is new and unique to Michelangelo’s artistic style.
This essay will reflect on how body is represented in the portraiture art within the Renaissance’s golden period detailing specifically Botticelli’s paintings and how this experience have broadened and enhanced my knowledge towards the future interest. This period arise when the medieval dark ages come to its end and artist and their patronage reinvented and represented the ideas of the classical mythology, particularly of the ancient Greek and Rome. It is a time when outstanding numbers of paintings, sculptures, alfresco were born and a human body was exposed as the centre of the universe. An epoch where the dominate themes were no longer pure religious devotions but it shift its focus primarily towards the anatomical beauty of the bodies, ideally represented. Furthermore, I will detail Botticelli’s paintings “The Birth of Venus” and briefly reflect on other two “Venus and Mars” and “Primavera” paintings. All three include the mythic figure of the Venus, who signifies both passionate love and intellectual love that still culturally lives in today’s world. In my view a real portrait signifies the components of the individuality and also can translates the ideal impression of the truth embodied within human body and soul.
Black-figure painting was first established in Corinth, c 700 BCE then Athens was influenced by the technique and got control over it (Cartwright, 2012). The entire process was made out of iron clay found in the area mixed with potash pigment, water and leave it evaporate under the sun until it’s thick and settle. Move on to wedging process where human used energy to make the clay combine together and create the smoothness. The forms of potter are made on the potter wheel and are control by human’s hands, which is fascinating because people will have respect toward a finished product. After shaping the entire form, it’s then bake inside a kiln until it turns black (Britannica, 2014). Black-figure painting usually presents a storytelling by depicting animals or people in silhouette and sometime th...
Conlin, Diane Atnally. The artists of the Ara Pacis: the process of Hellenization in Roman relief sculpture. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1997. (P. 4)