Carving : A Subtractive Process

1. Carving: A Subtractive Process

2. Michelangelo

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

4. Carrara, Italy

5. Inspirational Artists:BrancusiMooreHepworth

6. Constantin Brancusi Romanian 1876-1957 “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

7. “Constantin Brancusi strips form to its very essence.” -framemuseums.org Bird in Space, 1930, polished bronze Bird in Space, 1923, Marble, 56 ¾ inches tall, 6 ½ inch diameter

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

9. The Muse 1912. White marble, 17 3/4 x 9 x 6 3/4 inches (45 x 23 x 17 cm). Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York 

10. 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.

11. Henry Moore, Reclining Figure, 1939, elmwood The Detroit Institute of Arts, Founders Society Purchase with funds from the Dexter M. Ferry, Jr. Trustee Corporation 11

12. Three Standing Figures, 1953. Bronze, 73.2 x 68 x 29 cm, including base. Peggy Guggenheim Collection. 76.2553 PG 194.

13. Henry Moore, Reclining Woman, 1930 Hornton stone National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Purchased 1956 Aztec Chocmool figure, 900-1000 A.D. Mexico, Museo Nacional de Antropología, Mexico City 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

14. 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 14

15. Barbara HepworthEnglish1903-1975 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

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

17. Head (Ra), Polished bronze, 1972

18. Barbara Hepworth, Oval Structure, Wood, 1943

19. Spring 1966 Stringed Figure (Curlew), Version II Brass and string on wooden base

20. 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.

21. 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.

22. Vocabulary • Convex (convexities) • Concave (concavities) • Void • Organic • Geometric • Subtractive • Mass • Hammer and Chisel • Riffler and Rasp

23. Art Elements and Principles of Design • Space (positive and negative) • Form • Plane • Texture • Value • Unity/Harmony • Balance • Movement • Rhythm

24. Student Examples

29. Progression for finishing work: