CHAPTER III:

SCULPTURE
Sculpture
 Sculpture
 comes from the Latin word “Sculpere”
which means “to carve”
 Sculpture
 comes from the Latin word “Sculpere”
which means “to carve”

 an art of making three-dimensional figures,

especially by carving, casting, or modeling
MENHIR
“After painting comes sculpture,
a very noble art, but one that
does not in the execution
requires the same supreme
ingenuity as the art of painting. MENHIR
Sculpture does not imitate
colors which takes pains to
attune so that the shadows
accompany the light.”
(Leonardo da Vinci)
MEDIUM AND TECHNIQUES IN SCULPTURE:
MEDIUM AND TECHNIQUES IN SCULPTURE:

WOOD
MEDIUM AND TECHNIQUES IN SCULPTURE:

WOOD StONE
MEDIUM AND TECHNIQUES IN SCULPTURE:

WOOD StONE marble

MEDIUM AND TECHNIQUES IN SCULPTURE:

WOOD StONE marble

ceramics
MEDIUM AND TECHNIQUES IN SCULPTURE:

WOOD StONE marble

ceramics TERRACOTA
MEDIUM AND TECHNIQUES IN SCULPTURE:

WOOD StONE marble

ceramics TERRACOTA METAL

Kinds of sculpture:
 Kinds of sculpture:
Free-standing – a three-dimensional figure in the round and is
monumental
 Kinds of sculpture:
Free-standing – a three-dimensional figure in the round and is
monumental
 Kinds of sculpture:
Relief – a sculpture in which images are set on a flat
background
 Kinds of sculpture:
Relief – a sculpture in which images are set on a flat
background
 Kinds of sculpture:
Kinetic and mobiles – are moving three-dimensional figures
 Kinds of sculpture:
Kinetic and mobiles – are moving three-dimensional figures
Two major sculptural processes:
 Two major sculptural processes:

1.Additive – a construction of a figure by joining or

combining together small pieces of materials
 Two major sculptural processes:

1.Additive – a construction of a figure by joining or

combining together small pieces of materials

2.Subtractive – a process in which the unwanted

materials is cut away like carving of stone and wood
Sculpture techniques:
 Sculpture techniques:
CARVING
 Sculpture techniques:
CARVING

A time consuming and painstaking process which the artist cuts or

subtracts materials until the desired form is reached. Various tools are used
and is usually hard and weighty. The first step is to achieve the general
shape then followed by cutting and chiseling. The finishing touches are
carried out with rasps, then by rubbing with pumice and sand, or adding a
transparent patina which is made with an oil or wax base.
 
 Sculpture techniques:
MODELING
 Sculpture techniques:
MODELING

A form of adding or building up in which the materials used are

soft and can be easily shaped. To increase durability, claylike substances
are used since the ancient times. 
 Sculpture techniques:
CASTING
 Sculpture techniques:
CASTING

To obtain permanence for a modeled work, two methods of

casting are used: the Cire Perdue, or “lost-wax process”, and sand-casting.
Sand casting is a process in which cohesive sand mixed with a small
amount of clay, is used in molding. Lost-wax process or cire perdue is the
process by which a duplicate metal sculpture is cast from an original
sculpture.
 Sculpture techniques:
CONSTRUCTION AND ASSEMBLAGE
 Sculpture techniques:
CONSTRUCTION AND ASSEMBLAGE
The finished products of Construction was made out of paper and
scraps of diverse materials. An assemblage is a particular class of
construction. As in a construction, the artist is joining together a variety of
materials. However, the materials in an assemblage are, more specifically,
FOUND OBJECTS. That is, objects that were made by someone other than
the artist, usually for a non-art-related purpose. The artist finds ways to
combine these found items, often emphasizing the way they do not seem to
belong together, and were never meant to be used in the manner the artist
has chosen. 
 
DEVELOPMENT OF SCULPTURE
OUTSIDE THE PHILIPPINES
 DEVELOPMENT OF SCULPTURE
OUTSIDE THE PHILIPPINES

PREHISTORIC SCULPTURE
The early art of carving was drawn on the rocks of caves and believed as the way of
worshipping. The first primitive sculpture was the fertility statue which justify the duty of every
men as mankind to propagate the specie for fear of extinction. The earliest sculptured object were
cut form ivory, horn, bone, or stone, range to 27,000 to 32,000 years old. The oldest of these
object was a small ivory horse with curved lines was found in a cave in Germany. On the cave
floors are little stone female figurines carve with emphasis on the reproductive organs such as the
breasts and the buttocks, that are thought to represent fertility and goddesses.
VENUS OF WILLENDORF
 DEVELOPMENT OF SCULPTURE
OUTSIDE THE PHILIPPINES

EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE

The kings or “pharaohs” were commemorated in magnificent life-size

statues, set in funerary temples and tombs but only in idealized representations
and always depicted in a frontal pose. Egyptians carved figures out of stone in
building the tombs and temples. Story of the person entombed is indicated in
their tombs. The most popular piece of Egyptian sculpture is the sphinx which is
in the form of gigantic figure with the human head and the body of the crouching
lion symbolic of the grandeur of Egypt.
EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE FORMS:
EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE FORMS:

Palettes – shield-shaped pieces of stone with relief carvings

EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE FORMS:

Palettes – shield-shaped pieces of stone with relief carvings

Wall carvings- either in bust or high relief and usually found

in the walls of the tombs
EGYPTIAN SCULPTURE FORMS:

Palettes – shield-shaped pieces of stone with relief carvings

Wall carvings- either in bust or high relief and usually found

in the walls of the tombs

Statues – life-size figures portrayed in standing or sitting

position
 GREEK SCULPTURE

• Greeks believed in “Man as the measure of all things”,

hence their fondness of the human form.
The head is always seen in
profile

The torso in frontal view

The feet again, in profile

 Phideas
- was chief sculptor of all figures of the Parthenon.

PARTHENON – believed to be highest expression of the Greek spirit,

were described as depicting gravity and grace, harmony, and balance.
The figures are generally gods conceived as heroic men and women,
consisting of 350 human figures, 200 horses and sacrificial animals.
Praxiteles
- was the first sculptor who portrayed the feminine body
nude, to his name Venus de Medici and all other Aphrodite’s were
derived from him.

Venus de Medici Other Aphrodite

Lysippus
- is another Greek sculptor. His works show faces that look
animated and express personality.

The head of Alexander the Great

 Greek sculpture is synonymous with the Golden Age of Athens.
Among the earliest works in sculpture were individual figures,
life-size or larger and were dedicated to honor their gods.

 In some sculptures, frontality is often noted among religious or

hieratic sculpture because the God presents himself in a direct
and frontal position to signify power and divine authority.

 Greek artist attempted to embark on a quest for idea ratio and

proportion.
Polyclitus
- the sculptor who came up with the proportion of 1/7 head
to the entire human form and was systematized in his treatise-the
canons of Polyclitus-as shown by his sculpture Doryphorus or
Lance Bearer.

Doryphorus or Lance-bearer
 The Greek presentation is more casual and natural than the
Egyptian. The figures are presented as slightly off-balanced; the
facial expression are calm and thoughtful.
 Not much emotion is shown because the emphasis is on the form
of body.
 Female figures are usually fully draped out but male figures are
always naked.
 Later the Greek period, however, both men and human are shown
with very little or no clothing at all.
Female figures Male figures
 MESOPOTAMIAN SCULPTURE
This comes in the form of free-standing figures based on
primitive composure and frontality and used incised herring
bone. The craftsmen worked and applied the technique on gold,
silver, and other semi-precious stones.
Herringbone pattern originated during the
Roman Empire. It was originally inspired by
and named for the shape and pattern of the
bones of the herring fish.

Herring Fish

Bone Structure
 ROMAN SCULPTURE
Roman Sculpture is unlike the Greek in the sense that it is more
realistic and matter-of-fact in character. Most of the roman works
are in bust form and represented famous men and women. The
figures show their individual imperfections and represented the
subjects as they were in real life.
 2 CLASSES OF ROMAN SCULPTURE

Portraiture Historical Belief

 It was during the Flavian period (around the second part of the 1 st
century A.D) that roman sculpture reached its maturity and an
example of which was the “Head of Vespasian” classified as
Flavian Illusionism.

Head of Vespasian
 BYZANTINE SCULPTURE
Represents the Christianization of Rome, there was a great number of
churches and basilicas constructed and in the beginning, no statutes
adorned churches, instead, the fish was used to symbolize Christ, a hand
protruding from the clouds symbolized God. The dominant theme of
Byzantine sculptures are religious, everyday life scenes, and motifs from
nature.
ROMANESQUE SCULPTURE

Developed in the later part of

Medieval Ages, it was at this time
that sculpture became subordinated
to architecture. Attached to the
stonework rather than freestanding,
the carved image becomes an
integral part of the architecture. It
had to conform to the design of the
area where it was placed.
9TH CENTURY SCULPTURE

• Sculpture was governed by the church. No

experimentation was allowed, Christ was
presented by fully garbed, mature, dark-
bearded man with haunting eyes.

• The church laid down laws on how biblical

characters were to be presented. Hence all
Byzantine figures are tall, dignified, and
straight. Their robes were always exquisitely
carved, sometimes covered with jewels.
GOTHIC SCULPTURE

Although this was similar to Romanesque

Sculpture to the sense that it was
subordinate to architecture, it differed in the
presentation of human figure. The statues
were given a natural and life-like air, both
in their poses and their facial expressions.
Although great attention was still given to
the carving of their garments, the figures
gave the impression of real bodies and
limbs underneath the clothes.
 EARLY CHRISTIAN SCULPTURE
Sarcophagi sculpture dominated the early Christian sculpture derived from sarcophagus
which was a term used to indicate certain type of limestone for coffin making. Later on
Sarcophagic sculpture emerged to refer to sepulchral chest.

Sepulchral chest
SARCOPHAGIC SCULPTURE
RENAISSANCE SCULPTURE

• Renaissance sculpture was governed by a great

and detailed attention to anatomical shapes and
proportions.
• Having mastered casting in bronze, artists
experimented on pose and dramatic
presentations.
• Sculpture became more secular and gained
independence from the church. It entered the
services of palaces especially in Florence where
the powerful Medici Family commissioned
sculptors to decorate their places.
 The first monumental sculptures of the high Renaissance were the
“Pieta” and the heroic “David” of Michaelangelo, carved when he was
only in his 20’s, an early manifestation of his genius in sculpture.

Pieta David
 Michaelangelo Buonarroti

- considered as the major sculptor of all time.

- called the Renaissance painter and architect
par excellence.
- he made an imprint in sculpture by the revival
of classical values in art by maximizing the full
potential of the human form as a symbol of
power through his pre-occupation with
musculature or the arrangement of muscles in
the parts of the body especially his use of
contrapposto wherein the figure dynamically
distorts and turns around its axis in contrapuntal
movement.
 Donatello - was one of the greatest sculptor of the Renaissance. He
impressed in his works living people out of stone by suggesting weight,
balance, and psychological depth characterized by natural pose and
authority with the weight of the body descending through one leg.
Sculptures:

St. Mark David

 BAROQUE SCULPTURE
Rose in the 17th century, it was the result of a reaction to the
classical form. Sculpture was governed by the aesthetic that it was
a means to express states of the soul.
 Gian Lorenzo Bernini

- the outstanding artist of baroque period,

a painter, sculptor, and architect.
- His works are highly dramatic and their
depth of emotional expressions suited
the intense spirit of the Counter
Reformation.
- A strong interplay of light, shadow and
movement characterizes all of Bernini’s
works.
 Sculptures:

David Ecstasy of St. Theresa Daphne and Apollo

• The best example of baroque sculpture is the work of sculptors
Salvi and Bracci and this is the famous Trevi Fountain in Rome.

Three Coins in the Fountain

 Differences of “David” Sculpture

Michaelangelo Donatello Bernini

ROCOCO SCULPTURE

Purely ornamental in nature, this

style is characterized by a highly
ornate and exquisite study of detail
which suggests pomp and wealth.
This style was first used in the court
of French King originating in
France. Rococo art appeared largely
in furniture, panels, vases and urns.
 19TH CENTURY SCULPTURE

The 19th century, developed two trends:

the Neo-classical and the Realistic Romantic
trends.
 NEO-CLASSICAL

 Neo-classical sculptor depicted

perfect human anatomy and
endowed the figure with a calm,
reflective look, in imitation of the
Greeks.
 The subject of Neo-classical
sculpture range from mythological
figures, to heroes of the past to
major contemporary personages.
 ROMANTICISM

 a major movement in
19th century art, gave
sculptors the opportunity
to free themselves from
past models. New works
were created based on
imagination and appeal
to the emotions.
 Modern sculpture:
These sculptors are:

• August Rodin • Julio Gonzales

• Wilhelm Lehmbruck • Raymonds Duschamp
• Aristide Maillol Villion
• Constantine Branscusi • Alexander Caldes
• William Zorach and • Symour Lipton
Alexander Archipelago
 RECENT TRENDS:
Since the 1960’s, sculptors have continued to work in a variety of
media and styles
 Anthony Caro - in England, creates powerful metal constructions,
which generally have a horizontal axis.
 George Ricky - who composes delicate stainless steel structures set into
motion by the wind and Richard Serra, who builds enormous outdoor
structures of steel, such as the 61-m (200-ft) St. John’s Rotary Arc (1980)
at the New York exit from the Holland Tunnel under the Hudson River.
 Chryssa - Working with artificial light, who uses neon tubes
 Dan Flavin - defines spatial voids through the use of flourescent tubing.
 RECENT TRENDS:

In 1980’s, sculptors began moving away from the austerity

of Minimalism and Conceptualism. Organic and eccentric
forms began to reappear, a tendency known as Postmodern
or Post-Minimalism Sculpture. Figurative motifs can be
seen in the simple, small-scale works of Joel Shapiro.
Nancy Graves, meanwhile, is noted for her whimsical,
brightly colored openwork assemblages.
Statue by John Angel decorate the Martyr’s Portal on
the west entrance of the 20th-century Cathedral of St.
John the Divine in New York City.
Donatello’s equestrian statue of the Gattamelata, an
Italian soldier of fortune, stands in Padua, Italy.
Completed in 1450, it set the standard for later
equestrian statues.
 The Walker Mancock’s bronze bust of the poet Robert
Frost illustrates how overhead lighting (left) and strong,
dramatic side lighting (right) change the characters of the
face.
The huge columns, carved to resemble warriors, once
served as supports for the main temple at the Toltec
in Tula, Mexico. The columns are 15 feet high and
Adorned with body ornaments.
 Praxiteles’ “Hermes with the infant Dionysus” (top) is the only known
original by an early Greek master. Unearthed in 1877 at Olympia, Greece, it
is in the Olympia Museum. The missing arm probably held a bunch of
grapes, toward which the child is reaching. In the Louvre, in Parts, is the
“Victory of Samothcare” (bottom), named for the island in the Aegean Sea
where it was found. It is also known as the “Winged Victory”
 “The Ecstasy of St. Teresa” is a baroque sculpture by Bernini. It
depicts the mystical experience of Teresa of Avilla. Carved in white
marble, it is in the Church of Santa Maria Della Vittoria, Rome.
“ Nymph of the seine” a bas-relief created by Jean Goujon in
1547-49, adorned a structure called the Fountain of the
Innocents. The scuplture is now in the Louvre in Paris.
Benjamin Franklin (left) was one of the many famous person who
sat for the sculptor Jean-Antoine Houdon in Paris. Houdon’s
works were among the best of the rococo style in the 18th century.
The bronze sculpture of a boa strangling a stag (right) by Antoine-
Louis Barye, is in the Louvre, Paris. Barye’s work was mainly of
animals, and he was founder of the Animalier School of Art.
 The grouped of carved has decorated the Royal Portal of Chartres
Cathedral since the 12th century (left) . The cathedral of Chartres has been
praised for Gothic buildings. High above the city of Paris (right) are the
chimeras of Notre Dame Cathedral. These somewhat grotesque creatures
were intended to frighten medieval Christians into mending their ways.
 Amadeo Modigliani’s stone head (left). The National
Gallery of Art. Washington, D.C.) and the African mask
(right. Collection Bernardi) show how a modern artist
uses primitive styles creatively.
 The painted limestone bust of Nofretete (left) is at the
Archaeological Museum in Florence, Italy. It dates back to 1350
B.C. The bust is the best-known portrait of the queen of Egypt
and wife of Ikhnaton. Gudea (right) was ruler of Lagash, a city
of ancient Sumer, in about 2130 B.C. Sumerian art flourished
under Gudea. The statue is in the Louvre in Paris.
 The French figure (left), of polychromed oak, is by an unknown
medieval sculptor, school of Auvergne, France (Metropolitan
Museum of Art, New York City). Two modern treatments of the
Madonna and Child are Henry Moore’s cement figure (center), in
the Church of St. Matthews, Northampton, England and a bronze
figure by Jacob Epstein in the Riverside Church, New York City.
 DEVELOPMENT OF SCULPTURE IN
THE PHILLIPINES

Filipino sculptures have undergone an evolution in shape, form,

content and mediums. Like other cultures the first sculptures
created by Philippine native cultures were primitive. These
primitive sculptures utilized native materials like stone and clay.
The sculptures created depicted normal life and acts of worship.
Colors were limited in these primitive sculptures.
 DEVELOPMENT OF SCULPTURE IN THE
PHILLIPINES
The transitional sculpture movements in the Philippines between
the primitives and the modern movements were influenced by
outside cultures and internal evolutions. In the middle of the
transition between the primitive and the most modern sculptures
was the 19th century art movement. The hero of this sculpture
movement was Guillermo Tolentino. His most popular and well
known piece was the Bonifacio Monument. This monument was a
tribute piece to the Filipino revolution that was fought against the
Spanish in 1896. Tolentino completed this multi-figure sculpture in
1933 and it became the cornerstone of his career.
DEVELOPMENT OF SCULPTURE IN THE
PHILLIPINES
One of the latest artistic movements in Filipino sculptures is
the modernist movement. This movement has had at least
three generations. Michael Cacnio belongs to the third
generation of the Filipino modernist movement. His sculptures
are done in brass and they echo the heart and soul of Filipino
heritage and culture. Some of his contemporaries include
Abdulmari Imao and Benhur Villlanueva.
DEVELOPMENT OF SCULPTURE IN THE
PHILLIPINES
If you are interested in sculptures then you may want to browse
through various works created by Filipino sculptors like Cacnio,
Imao and Villanueva. These artists offer sculptures that range
from intimate conversation pieces to large monumental works.
When selecting a piece to add to your personal collection look
for colors, textures and themes that appeal to you and that will
match the décor of your home or office.