sculpture & ceramics

art

creative expression for meaning or beauty in Latin its AR

Industrialization and Crafts

Mass production decreased handmade crafts; crafts became more about artistic value.

Major Arts

Fine arts like painting, sculpture, architecture.

Minor Arts

Crafts, made for function: ceramics, glass, jewelry, textiles, furniture

Artisan

Skilled craftsperson who works by hand.

Clay

Natural earth material used to create ceramics and pottery

Earthenware

Low-fire, soft, reddish clay

Stoneware

Mid-fire, strong clay.

Porcelain

High-fire, smooth, white, non-porous clay.

Kiln

Special oven used to fire clay.

Firing

Heating clay to make it hard and permanent.

Throwing

Shaping clay on a potter’s wheel.

Modeling

Shaping soft clay or media by hand

Slip

Watery clay used to join pieces or decorate.

Pinch method

Shaping clay using fingers.

Coil method

Building with rolled ropes of clay.

Slab method

Building with flat sheets of clay.

Score & Slip

Scratching surfaces and using slip to join clay.

Leather-hard clay

Firm clay, partially dry, ideal for joining or trimming.

Bone-dry clay

Completely dry clay, ready for firing.

Wedging

Kneading clay to remove air.

Centering

Making clay balanced on the wheel.

Opening

Pressing into the center to form the inside.

Pulling

Lifting clay to form walls.

Trimming

Refining the bottom once leather-hard.

Water usage

Reduces friction; too much weakens clay.

Modeling

Adding material

Carving

Removing material

Casting

Pouring liquid material into a mold (steps: mold → pour → remove)

Constructing / Assembling

Building a sculpture from parts or found objects.

Armature

Internal support structure for sculpture.

Human figure sculpture

Traditional theme; modeled by hand, clay, or wax.

Free-standing sculpture

Viewed from all sides.

Open form

Sculpture with empty space visible.

Closed form

Solid sculpture with little to no open space.

Relief sculpture

Attached to a flat surface.

High relief

Sticks out a lot from background.

Low relief

Slightly sticks out.

Kinetic art

Art that moves

Site-specific art

Made for a particular location.

Installation art

Large-scale work that fills space.

Earthworks

Sculpture using natural land materials.

Art vs Craft

Functional = craft; non-functional/conceptual = art.

Deborah Butterfield

Assemblage of horses using found objects.

Alexander Calder

American Master; inventor of mobiles; kinetic & site-specific; called works “objects.”

Michelangelo

Marble sculpture (e.g., Atlas Slave, Moses); subtractive method; patrons: Popes/Church; humanist themes.

Philippe Faraut

Human figure modeling; additive; observation & proportion emphasized.

Jiménez

Fiberglass sculpture (e.g., Howl).

Barela

Wood sculpture (e.g., Nativity).

Smithson

Spiral Jetty; earthwork / land art.

Jeff Koons

Mixed media sculpture (e.g., Puppy).

Rubins

Mixed media

Abakanowicz

Fiber / burlap

Dale Chihuly

Glass works, large-scale, vibrant.

Glass

Used 4,000+ years for vessels, windows, art.

Metal

Hammered, cut, welded, joined with rivets; jewelry & sculpture.

Wood

Bending, turning, carving; furniture & containers.

Fibers

Loom weaving, surface design, stitching; quilts, baskets.

Clay (ceramics focus)

Hand-building, wheel throwing, firing, glazing.

Senwosret I

Egyptian, limestone.

Head of an Oba

Nigeria, brass.

Atlas Slave

Michelangelo, marble.

Fish

Calder, mixed media.

Howl

Jiménez, fiberglass.

Nativity

Barela, wood.

Spiral Jetty

Smithson, earth.

Puppy

Smithson, earth.

Pleasure Point

Rubins, mixed media.

Backs

Abakanowicz, burlap.

Chihuly glass works

Dale Chihuly, glass.