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Subtractive Plaster Sculptures
Assignment • EnduringIdea:TheprocessofAbstrac/onu/lizingformandmovementandinspiredby
theworksofConstan/nBrancusi,HenryMooreandBarbaraHepworth.
• Technique:Subtrac/vemethod,chiseling• Materials:• Flatheadscrewdriversforchiseling(fromdollarstore!)asmakeshiIchisels(orreal
chiselsifbudgetallows),plasterrasps,rifflerrasps,sandpaper,solidplasterblocks(pouredintoemptycartonsandplas/ccontainers–like½gallonDelicontainers)
• Finish:metallicspraypaint,shoepolish,cleargloss
• Objec5ves:• Studentswilliden/fyandcri/quetheworkofBarbaraHepworth,HenryMooreand
Constan/neBrancusibytheirworksasmo/va/onforcrea/onofaplastersculpture.Theplastersculpturewillbecompletebyimplemen/ngthesubtrac/vesculp/ngmethod.FormandmovementwillbeconcentratedonbecauseofthedominanceofthetwoelementsinHepworthandBrancusi’swork.
•
WHATISABSTRACTION?
• Abstractartisdefinedasartthathasnoreferencetoanyfigura5vereality.Initswiderdefini5onthetermdescribesartthatdepictsrealformsinasimplifiedorratherreducedway‐keepingonlyanallusionoftheoriginalnaturalsubject.Theabstractpain5ngsofJoanMiroareagoodexampleofthiswiderdefini5on.Thetermnon‐figura)veisusedasasynonym.
Whatisbiomorphic?
• Thetermwasfirstusedin1936,byAlfredH.Barr,Jr.Biomorphistartfocusesonthepowerofnaturallifeandusesorganicshapes,withshapelessandvaguelysphericalhintsoftheformsofbiology.Biomorphismhasconnec/onswithSurrealismandArtNouveau.
Barbara Hepworth
Englishsculptor,oneofthemostimportantfiguresinthedevelopmentofabstractartinBritain.
ShetrainedatLeedsSchoolofArt,whereshebecameafriendofHenryMoore,andattheRoyalCollegeofArt.Herearlysculptureswerequasi‐naturalis5candhadmuchincommonwithMoore’swork,bytheearly1930sherworkwasen5relyabstract
.Sheworkedbothinwoodandstone,andshedescribedanimportantaspectofherearlycareerasbeingtheexcitementofdiscoveringthenatureofcarving’‐
HerworkislikethefamoussculptureHenryMoore’syet,unlikehis,isnotrepresenta5onalinoriginbutconceivedasabstractforms.
Subtractive Plaster Sculptures Barbara Hepworth
OvalSculpture,
1943
“Figure for Landscape”
“TwoForms”
Henry Moore
Henry Moore Biography (Henry Moore born — 30 July 1898 Castleford, Yorkshire,
England
• RegardedasoneofthemostgiIedandprolificsculptorsofthe20thcentury,HenryMoorebeganandsolidifiedatradi/oninartthatwasmoreorganicandabstract.Byhislateryears,hisfiguresweremassiveandcomprisedofmarbleandbronze.Heisnotedforhisamazingcrea/onsinwhathavebeendubbed,recliningnudes.
• Inthe1930s,theBri/shpublicbeganpayingmorea_en/ontotheabstractmovementsoftheday.However,thisartdidn’tcomewithoutconsequence.Manycri/csfoundhisworkdisdainfulandMoorewaslateraskedtoresignfromtheRoyalCollegeofArt.HethenbegantoworkforotheracademiesinLondon.HewasinfluencedgreatlybyPabloPicasso,andkeptonworkingonhisownartregardlessofthecri/cs’reviews.
“Reclining Figure” (1951)
MotherandChild1934
Constantin Brancusi
Constantin Brancusi (Born Feb. 21, 1876)
• ThesculpturesofConstan/nBrancusiblendsimplicityandsophis/ca/oninsuchauniquewaythattheyseemtodefyimita/on.Yetitisimpossibletothinkofanar/stwhohasbeenmoreinfluen/alinthetwen/ethcentury.
• Almostsingle‐handedly,Brancusirevolu/onizedsculpture,inventedmodernism,andshapedtheformsandconceptsofindustrialdesignasweknowittoday.
• HewashighlyinfluencedbyRodinandManRay(famoussculptors)yethewantedtopavehisownwaywithhisownart.
“MaleTorso”Oneofhisfamousworks
(Bronze)
Carving and adding to the sculpture
• OneofthegreatadvantagesofplastersculptureisthatyoucanaddtothebasicshapeevenaIertheplasterhasdried.Thismeansthatifyoudecidethatthenoseofyoursculptureshouldbelarger,youcansimplymixsomeplasterandaddthistothenose.Therearesomethingsyoushouldknowbeforeaddingtothesculpture.Plasterwillnotadherewelltoplasterifitistoodry.Thebestmethodofaddingplastertoplasteristofirstlycutgroovesintothedryplaster.Thishelpstheadhesionofthenextlayerofwetplaster.
• Secondly,itisagoodideatowetthesurfacedriedplaster,asthiswillalsocreateadhesion.Somesculptorsalsoapplycoldglueorwhitegluetothesurfaceofthedrysculpture.Ideallyyoushouldnotwaitfortheplastertobecompletelydrybeforefinishingthisprocess.
• Onceyouhavetheroughshapeoftheform,youcanbegincarvingthefinalform.Carvingintoplasterisextremelyeasywhenitiss/llslightlywet.Theplasterbecomesharderwithinafewhoursand,dependingontheconsistencyofyouroriginalmixture,canbecomealmostrockhardoveraperiodofdaysandweeks.Theideal/meistobegincarvingisaboutthreehoursaIertheplasterhasbeguntoset,i.e.gethard.
• TherearenumeroussetsofbasiccarvingtoolsthatcanbeboughtatcraIshops.Thesesetsareusuallyintendedforwoodcarving,butareidealforplaster.Onthehand,youcanusealmostanysharpinstrumenttocarveplaster.CarveintothesoIplasteranddeterminethemainareasofyourfacefirst.Inotherwords,carveoutthenose,mouth,checkbones,eyesetc.Onceyourplasterhardensyoucanrefinetheseareasmoreeasily.Rememberthatifyoufindthatyouhavenotaddedenoughplastertoyourarmatureyoucanalwaysaddsmallamountsofplaster,usingthemethodsuggestedabove.
Mixing Plaster • PlasterofParisworksthoughwaterabsorp/on.• Thepowderfromtheplasterabsorbsthewateranddevelopsintoatough,resilientmaterial
onceithasdried.Therela/onshipbetweentheamountofwaterandtheplasteriscrucialwhenmixingthetwo.
• ToomuchwaterwillmaketheplastersoIandcrumbly.Thebestmethodformixingtheplastercorrectlyisasfollows:Takeabucketandfillittojustbelowhalfofitsdepthwithcleanwater.
• Openyourbagofplasterandscoopahandfulofplaster.Droptheplasterintothewaterusingyourfingersasafilteringtooltoensurethatnoforeignobjectsenterthewater.
• Youmayalsouseanordinarykitchensieveforthispurpose;butthisismore/meconsumingandisonlynecessarywhencas/ngaplastermoldfromclay
• Con/nuetheprocessbyscoopinghandfulsofplasteranddroppingthemgentlyintothewater.Theprocessneedstobecon/nuousandyoushouldnotstopforabreakatthispoint.
• Rememberthattheplasterpowerisalreadybeginningtoreactchemicallywiththewaterandisstar/ngto“set”orharden.Whentheplasterstartstoformsmallmoundsontopofthewaterthenthecorrectbalancebetweenthewaterandplasterhasbeenreached.
• Thenextstepistogentlyinsertyourhandintothebucketofplasterandwaterandsearchforanyobjects,leavesetc.thatmayhavefallenin.Gentlys/r,searchingforclumpsofplasterandbreakingthemup.Thisprocessalsohastheadvantageofbringingairbubblestothesurfaceandensuringthattheplasterisuniform.
The final product
• Nowthatyouhavecarvedyourmasterpiece,thereareafewthingsthatyoushouldconsider.
• Plasterisnotintendedasanoutdoormediumforsculpture.Althoughitiscompara5velystrongandresistant,itiscanweatherfairlyeasilyifleVoutdoorsforaperiodof5me.However,plastercanbekeptindoorsand,aslongasitisnotthrownabout,willlastforyears.
• Sculptorsusuallyuseplastermodelsasanintermediatestageinthedevelopmentoftheirart.Theseplastersculpturesarethencastintoamoredurablemateriallikebronze.Buttherearemanysculptors,includingPicasso,whoretainedplastersculpturesintheiroriginalplasterform.Asafinaltouchyoucanuseanyclearvanishtoprotectthesculpture.