Figurative Sculpture Research Articles

Formal Integration of Decorative Elements in the Creation of Figurative Sculpture

Figurative sculpture and decorative elements belong to the same category of art; the development of sculpture art requires innovation and constant exploration of new development paths, while many characteristics of decorative elements can give the creation of sculpture works a variety of inspiration. This paper explores the significance of figurative sculpture and decorative elements, examining their intrinsic connections and historical practices. The study aims to uncover the potential of figurative sculpture in the creation of decorative elements, highlighting how the integration of these forms can contribute to the development of art and the creation of meaningful figurative sculptures.

Application of Chinese Ethnic Minority Themes in Contemporary Figurative Sculpture Creation

In the field of contemporary sculpture creation, the rich culture and historical depth of Chinese ethnic minorities have attracted the widespread attention of artists. These creations not only emphasize external features such as ethnic costumes, totems, or life scenes but also touch deep spiritual contents including historical stories, religious beliefs, and living habits of ethnic minorities. This paper discusses the integration process of Chinese ethnic minority themes in figurative sculpture creation and the inheritance of the profound spirit of ethnic groups in this process. At the same time, this paper also places the diversified expression and innovative practice of these themes in sculpture art in the context of the new era for investigation and explores the far-reaching influence of its development on promoting cultural inheritance and artistic innovation.

Characteristics, Forms and Techniques of Making Combined Figure Sculptures by Laksmi Shitaresmi

Characteristics, Forms and Techniques of Making Combined Figure Sculptures by Laksmi Shitaresmi

Amazons among us: Reflections on creating the heroines we need now

This article describes my recent carved wood sculptures of warrior women as a response to and reimagination of historical and mythological accounts of Amazons. I emphasize aspects of queerness and gender non-conformity in the figurative sculptures through iconographical details. This body of work is grounded in readings of classical mythology and popular culture, as well as reference to historical Amazons and women warriors in African and Indian cultures.

The Significance of Clothing in Figure Sculptures

Changes in clothing styles symbolize the continuation of history because clothes are a basic human necessity. The role of clothing has evolved over time from its primary purpose of providing warmth and modesty, to being a way to express one’s identity, profession, tradition and aesthetic. The development and formation of clothing styles are influenced by regional, historical and cultural factors, as well as deep-rooted ethnic characteristics. When artists explore the incorporation of clothing styles in sculpture creation, they illuminate the inherent values, forms, connotations, and aesthetic qualities of clothing from different ethnic groups and historical periods. Therefore, the study of clothing in figure sculptures is a fundamental discipline in the research and process of sculpture creation. It is also a unique and specialized training method of modern sculpture, serving as a significant aspect of the basic training for modern sculpture creation.

Vyrazitel'nye osobennosti skul'ptury v novom Kitae 1960-h – 1970-h gg.

1960s - 1970s was a period of socialist revolution and construction in New China. The author analyzes the expressive objects and characteristics of sculpture art in that special era namely large-scale monument sculptures and figure sculptures under the influence of socialist class struggle, heroism, workers, peasants and soldiers, personality cult, rebellion movement, etc.

Managing Monumental Crises

This paper provides a brief chronological overview of Basque immigration and participation in the sheep industry of the American West. It describes the process leading to the conception and development of the National Basque Sheepherder Monument in Reno’s Rancho San Rafael Park, including the discussions with regards to whether it should be Traditional/Realistic or Modern/Symbolic in nature. It explains the potential crisis that threatened to sidetrack the Monument, the inaugural ceremony and the symbolism of the statue Bakardade/Solitude by Basque sculptor Nestor Basterretxea and its relationship with the characteristics of the Basque people. Finally, it incorporates the figurative sculpture donated by the John Ascuaga family to the University of Nevada, Reno.

Monuments to Midwestern Pioneer Mothers and Native Women

Monuments to Midwestern Pioneer Mothers and Native Women Cynthia C. Prescott (bio) Local sculptor John K. Daniels's 1936 monument for Minneapolis, Minnesota's new Pioneer Park bore striking similarities in style and meaning to other early midwestern pioneer monuments. Click for larger view View full resolution Fig 1. John K. Daniels, Pioneers Monument, Minneapolis, Minnesota, as of March 2013. Photo by author. [End Page 21] Figurative sculptures honored Euro-American settler men's hard work hewing farms out of the wilderness, accompanied by a self-sacrificing "pioneer mother" symbolizing the arrival of White Christian culture on the frontier. A bas relief on the reverse of the monument nodded to French settlement of the region by depicting Native American men—but no women—welcoming French explorers to their homelands. While dozens of monuments erected across the United States by women's clubs in the early twentieth century emphasized women's roles carrying White "civilization" westward, Daniels's placing of his pioneer mother figure in a supporting role was typical of many midwestern monuments. Most midwestern statues glorified White men for conquering the wilderness that Native men yielded, portrayed White settler women as supporting players to their men, and erased Native women's presence from the region altogether. This essay will argue that in contrast to better-known monuments in the Far West, which largely featured "cowboys and Indians" memories of the Old West or solo pioneer mothers embodying Euro-American civilization, most midwestern monuments erected between the 1890s and 1930s emphasized the process of U.S. westward expansion or White homemaking.1 Midwestern pioneer monuments, which outnumbered those in the Far West, celebrated the family values long associated in popular memory with America's supposed rural heartland. Monuments erected in the Midwest early in the twentieth century—like Minneapolis's 1936 Pioneers Monument—tended to emphasize White settler men's hard work establishing new farms and communities. Midwestern pioneer mothers typically appeared as self-sacrificing supporting characters—again like the female figure in Minneapolis's Pioneers—emphasizing pioneer men's good intentions. Contemporaneous monuments erected in former Spanish and Mexican territories (including California, Arizona, and Texas) grappled in various ways with the persistence of Indigenous and Spanish-speaking populations. A few in the Midwest portrayed Native men yielding to White male explorers or settlers prior to the arrival of White women, or hinted at European immigrant influences, but most ignored non-Anglo-American residents. Native women appeared only rarely as symbols of Indigenous acquiescence to White manhood. Recent decades have seen a resurgence in interest in public statuary throughout the United States. Midwestern communities are once again erecting monuments to the region's nineteenth-century residents. But instead of passive, self-sacrificing White mothers standing by their men, [End Page 22] Click for larger view View full resolution Fig 2. Dale Lamphere, Dignity of Earth and Sky, Chamberlain, South Dakota, as of October 2021. "Woman standing near tall Dignity statue on a bluff overlooking the Missouri River off Interstate 90 near Chamberlain, South Dakota." Photo by Glenn Nagel/Alamy Stock Photo. twenty-first-century pioneer monuments portray more active and vibrant female characters. Moreover, some Midwesterners are vocally challenging the racial implications of earlier imagery. Calls for more inclusive monuments have begun to bear fruit. In 2016, Chamberlain, South Dakota, erected Dignity of Earth & Sky, a sculpture of a solo Native American woman. Far from yielding or disappearing in [End Page 23] the face of White settlement, the Native woman stands proudly, actively displaying a star quilt representing Lakota and Dakota culture that adapted and responded to Euro-American influences. While not as imposing as Chamberlain's fifty-foot-tall Dignity, other midwestern communities have also begun to honor both Native and White women as community leaders. Early midwestern pioneer monuments erased the region's Indigenous, Métis, and other non-Anglo populations to an even greater extent than did those installed in the Far West. Most midwestern frontier-themed monuments depict middle-class White family values made possible by masculine persistence and maternal sacrifice. But, like western pioneer monuments, midwestern monuments have grown more diverse and inclusive in recent decades. Monuments to European immigrant groups portray their subjects as...

The Politics of Sanctity: Figurative Sculpture at Selles-sur-Cher. By Deborah Kahn. Vistas: New Scholarship on Sculpture 1250–1780. London/Turnhout, Belgium: Harvey Miller Publishers/Brepols, 2020. 271 pp. 40 b/w & 200 color illus., 5 maps. €125.00 cloth.

The Politics of Sanctity: Figurative Sculpture at Selles-sur-Cher. By Deborah Kahn. Vistas: New Scholarship on Sculpture 1250–1780. London/Turnhout, Belgium: Harvey Miller Publishers/Brepols, 2020. 271 pp. 40 b/w & 200 color illus., 5 maps. €125.00 cloth. - Volume 91 Issue 4

Matthew J. Westerby. Review of "The Politics of Sanctity: Figurative Sculpture at Selles-sur-Cher" by Deborah Kahn.

Matthew J. Westerby. Review of "The Politics of Sanctity: Figurative Sculpture at Selles-sur-Cher" by Deborah Kahn.

Review: Riemenschneider in Rothenburg: Sacred Space and Civic Identity in the Late Medieval City

Review: <i>Riemenschneider in Rothenburg: Sacred Space and Civic Identity in the Late Medieval City</i>

Production and Optimization of 3D Animation Garage Kits – Taking “Sound of Pipa” as an Example

The most popular 3D animation garage kits are SD dolls and ball-jointed dolls (BJDs), which are shaped like 3D figure sculptures. Since garage kits such as SD and BJD are expensive, new materials such as PVC and clay have been introduced as there are still many fans. This paper takes the antique clay-making garage kit, “Sound of Pipa,” as an example and elaborates its design, production, as well as optimization ideas and methods to provide reference for beginners to create 3D garage kits. The garage kit industry, on the other hand, should pay close attention to the latest developments in technology and materials, both at home and abroad, and incorporate them into the creation and production of works on a regular basis.

Generating Facial Character: A Systematic Method Accumulating Expressive Histories

Abstract The author presents a method to simulate facial character development by accumulating an expressive history onto a face. The model analytically combines facial features from Paul Ekman's seven universal facial expressions using a simple Markov chain algorithm. The output is a series of 3D digital faces created in Blender with Python. The results show that systematically imprinting features from emotional expressions onto a neutral face transforms it into one with distinct character. This method could be applied to creative works that depend on character creation, ranging from figurative sculpture to game design, and allows the creator to incorporate chance into the creative process. The author demonstrates the method's application to sculpture with ceramic casts of generated faces.

Immigration in the Visual Art of Nicario Jiménez Quispe

Immigration in the Visual Art of Nicario Jiménez Quispe

The Making of Contemporary Art in Tanzania

The Making of Contemporary Art in Tanzania

The Practice of China’s Cosmetic Medicine Dated Back to 3 800–4 800 Years Ago

To investigate the developmental history of cosmetic surgery and cosmetic medicine in China. The history of cosmetic surgery and cosmetology in China was explored via a review of the literature reported across the globe and the archeological discoveries recorded in China. The ancient underground city of “Sanxingdui”, discovered in Guanghan, Sichuan, China, was built between 1 800 and 2 800 BC. Many bronze figure sculptures with decorative perforations in the earlobe area were unearthed there, making it perhaps the earliest record of cosmetic surgery practice in the world. The practice of decorative perforations in the earlobe predates the practice of nose jobs found in ancient India. The Prescriptions for Fifty-two Diseases from the Western Han Dynasty, unearthed in Mawangdui, Changsha, Hunan Province, recorded the treatment of vitiligo in traditional Chinese medicine. This might be one of the earliest records of aesthetic medicine in the world. China is one of the earliest birthplaces of cosmetic surgery and cosmetology in the world. The practice of cosmetic medicine in China predates the practice of nasal reconstruction found in ancient India.

The Paramaters of Visual Art Assessment as a Measurement Instrument for Learning Products of Art Painting, Sculpture, Ceramic and Batik

Assessing learning products of visual art was unlike evaluating other learning products. Due to its relation to visual outcomes, the first assessment required proper sensitiveness and measurable references. The research was intended to be the effort to acquire parameters of visual art assessment, especially of art painting, sculpture, ceramic, and batik assessments. The findings could be used as instruments in various visual art learning activities. Data were collected by distributing a list, interviewing the informants, and having Focus Group Discussion. The respondents were visual art lectures in the Faculty of Arts and Literature in one of the state universities in norther island of Sumatera, Indonesia. They were excellent at visual art and equipped with required sensitiveness. Besides, they also had relevant education with art painting, sculpture, ceramic, and batik. The findings, in the form of assessment parameters, were first, parameters of visual art assessment were form similarity, proportion, spatial depth, technique, composition, content, ambiance, brightness, color harmony, and texture. Secondly, parameters of non-figurative sculpture assessment were technique mastery, proportion, smoothness, expression, volume, space, and idea authenticity. Thirdly, parameters of figurative sculpture assessment were visual anatomy, proportion, motion effect, and drapery. Fourthly, parameters of ceramic assessment were technique mastery/finishing, innovation creativity, novelty, smoothness, expression, harmony, and need (market need). Last, parameters of batik assessment were technique, authenticity, modernity, color harmony, innovativeness, need finishing, and affordability.

Binding Trauma

Binding Trauma

A Modernist Memorial for a Classical City: Designs for the Memorial to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad as Seen by Architects and Audience

The article discusses practices of architectural commemoration of the most tragic event in the history of St. Petersburg — Leningrad, the siege. Architects started producing projects for the future memorials in the first months of the unprecedented blockade of the city. During the postwar period some impressive monuments were erected, including one at the Piskarevskoe Memorial Cemetery. There were also dozens of designs submitted to several architectural competitions during the 1950–60s. In the 1960s, Leningrad went through two open architectural competitions for the memorial dedicated to the defenders of the city in the Second World War. The designs were widely publicized, provoking public response going far beyond Soviet standards of freedom of expression in discussing the tragic past. Building on a considerable body of archival materials, the article examines the history of the Monument to the Heroic Defenders of Leningrad and the shaping of its architectural language. Simultaneously, it analyzes some commonalities of “memorial discourse” reflected in feedback texts. The critical responses demonstrate various attitudes towards the contemporary (late modern) architectural characteristic of the majority of competition entries and various visions of its appropriateness for the commemoration of the Siege. Eventually erected in 1975, the monument turned out to be a compromise between the architects’ and laymen’s visions, between the highly modernist style fashioned by the architects and the expectations of the audience that was skeptical about “Western modernism” and “abstraction” and demanded a narrative memorial with figurative sculpture.

북한의 전후 복구 시기 조각 연구 - ‘일반조각’을 중심으로

북한의 전후 복구 시기 조각 연구 - ‘일반조각’을 중심으로