monuments because it resists damage by
rain and wind. Popular types of stone
for sculpture include marble, alabaster,
granite, sandstone, limestone, and semiprecious
stones.
Modern sculptors use these traditional
materials as well as many others, including
plastics, fabrics, fiberglass, neon
tubes, and even garbage. Today, concrete
is often used for large outdoor projects.
This is because it is cheap, hard, and
long-lasting.
Processes
The most common ways to form sculpture
are carving, modeling, casting, and
constructing. Carving is the process of
turning such substances as stone, wood,
or ivory into a desired shape by cutting
or chipping away pieces. Modeling
involves shaping a soft material such as
clay by hand. It can then be baked until
A stone sculpture of an angel
stands on a bridge in Rome, Italy.
A woman sculpts a bust, or a figure of a
person’s head and shoulders, from clay.
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Sculpture 55
it hardens. Models can also be used in
casting.
Casting is used to reproduce a piece of
sculpture through the use of a mold. In
one version a plaster mold is made
around a model. When the mold has
hardened, it is split apart and taken off
the model. The mold is then put back
together, with a hollow space where the
model was. A mixture of plaster and
water is poured into the mold and left to
dry. When the mold is chipped away, a
perfect copy of the original model
remains. A method of casting with wax
is commonly used for metal sculptures.
This process can be used to create many
copies of a statue.
Modern sculptors sometimes construct
sculpture out of assorted materials. They
may use such techniques as welding,
screwing, nailing, or gluing to combine
different pieces of material.
History
Early Sculpture
Sculpture from prehistoric times has
been found around the world. The earliest
sculptures are made of such naturally
occurring materials as clay, stone, and
ivory. Beginning in about 3000 BC,
people also began to make sculptures of
bronze and other metals.
In early civilizations sculpture was associated
largely with religion. In the
Middle Eastern region of Mesopotamia
almost all early sculpture was used in
temples. People in ancient Egypt created
huge sculptures of their kings and gods,
emphasizing their power. They also
made many statues and reliefs for use in
tombs.
In ancient Greece sculpture reached its
high point in the 400s BC. The Greeks
of this period aimed to show humans
and gods in their most perfect forms.
Most of their statues appear calm in
expression and pose. The ancient
Romans later made many copies of
Greek sculpture. In this way they preserved
the Greek tradition for later generations.
From about AD 200 the new religion of
Christianity began inspiring artists to
create works that reflected Christian
figures and events. During the Middle
Ages (from about 500 to 1500), much
European sculpture was closely related
to church architecture.
Sculpture in India has also centered on
religion. The Gupta period, lasting from
about the 300s to the 500s, produced
some of the best examples of Buddhist
sculpture.
Renaissance, Baroque, and
Neoclassicism
The period in Europe called the Renaissance
(mid-1300s through the 1500s)
was a time of outstanding artistic
achievement. Renaissance artists were
inspired by the classical styles of ancient
Greece and Rome. The Renaissance
began in Italy. The Italian artists Donatello
and Michelangelo were among the
finest sculptors of the period.
Sculptures
sometimes are
painted or
polished. This
helps to protect
them from
the weather
and makes
them more
decorative.
56 Sculpture BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
In the 1600s baroque became a major
style ofWestern art. Baroque sculpture is
dramatic and highly decorative. It
appeals to the senses and emotions. The
leading baroque sculptor was the Italian
artist Gian Lorenzo Bernini.
The neoclassical (meaning “new classical”)
style was popular in Europe in the
1700s. As in the Renaissance, sculptors
in this period sought to revive ancient
Greek and Roman ideals of beauty. A
leading sculptor of this style in Italy was
Antonio Canova.
Modern Sculpture
In the late 1800s the French sculptor
Auguste Rodin challenged centuries of
tradition. He showed the human figure
expressing tension and fleeting emotions.
He also sometimes used textured
surfaces that heighten the sense of life
and movement. In these ways Rodin’s
sculpture differs from the cold, impersonal
smoothness of the classical tradition.
With their strong sense of power
and drama, his works greatly influenced
sculptors of his own time as well as of
the modern era.
In the 1900s and beyond, sculptors
experimented with form and materials.
Sculptors such as Constantin Brancusi,
Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and
Raymond Duchamp-Villon created
works of abstract sculpture—sculpture
that does not try to realistically
represent anything in the visible world.
Instead, these sculptors focused on the
shapes and forms themselves. Some
sculptors used objects found in the
everyday world to make viewers see the
objects in a different light. Their aim
was not to please the eyes but to make
