The Concept of Time in Modern Sculpture

Abstract

The student of ancient art is familiar with the discussions of the special moment of action or inaction chosen by the sculptor in the representation of a human figure. However, the concept of time has rarely been directly considered in regard to later sculpture. 1 Today, because of swifter means of movement, the faster development of human events, and the scientific view of energy as the basic constituent of matter, we are more aware of the positive value of time and its intimate relation to space and motion. In the last few decades, much interest has been shown in the new understanding of time-space and its meaning for twentieth century painting and architecture. 2 It should be equally illuminating to consider the conscious or unconscious implication of time in some sculpture of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.