Sculpture and Other Forms of Visual Arts

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering key sculpture concepts, forms, techniques, tools, and notable Philippine examples from the notes.

Sculpture

A three-dimensional art form with height, width, and depth, created by carving, modeling, or assembling materials.

Free-standing sculpture

A sculpture that can stand independently in space, usually on a flat base.

Relief

A kind of sculpture where the form projects from a flat background and is attached to it, without a separate base.

Low relief (bas-relief)

A relief with shallow depth where the image projects only slightly from the background.

High relief

A relief in which forms project significantly from the background, often half or more of their circumference, and may be detached from the ground.

Contemporary kinds of sculpture

Modern sculpture categories such as assemblage, kinetic sculpture, welded sculpture, glass sculpture, and symbolic sculpture.

Assemblage

A sculpture formed by putting together found objects, paper, wood scraps, and other materials.

Kinetic sculpture

A sculpture in which movement is integral; parts or the whole piece move.

Welded sculpture

A sculpture created by joining metal pieces together through welding.

Glass sculpture

Sculpture in which glass is the medium of expression.

Symbolic sculpture

A sculpture that communicates symbolic meaning through shapes, colors, and images (e.g., Okir designs).

Subtraction

A sculptural method where material is removed to reveal the form (carving with chisels, hammers, etc.).

Manipulation

Also known as modeling; shaping a pliable material such as clay, wax, or plaster.

Addition

A method of building up form by joining materials, such as welding, bolting, gluing, or tying.

Addition - Welding

Joining metal pieces by heating surfaces to melting and fusing them together.

Substitution

Casting; reproducing an original in a new material using a mold (sand, plaster, or lost-wax casting).

Sand casting

A metal casting process using sand as the mold material.

Plaster casting

Casting that uses plaster as the mold material.

Lost-wax casting

Investment casting; pouring molten metal into a mold made from wax.

Gouge

A curved-edge woodworking tool used for carving hollows, rounds, and sweeping curves.

Coping Saw

A small saw used to cut curves and irregular shapes in wood.

Chisel

A straight cutting tool used for lines and flattening surfaces.

Short bent

A small spoon-like chisel used for quick, deep cuts.

Straight skew gouge

A gouge with a diagonal cutting edge.

Parting tool (Veiner)

A V-shaped furrowing tool used to create grooves or channels.

Fish tail

A tool with tips that flare like a fish tail, used for shaping.

Long bent

A chisel bent for long, deep cuts.

Point chisel (stone carving)

Primary removal tool; tapers to a point to remove bulk material.

Tooth chisel (rake)

A flat chisel with teeth used for secondary removal in stone.

Flat-straight chisel

A finishing chisel with a straight edge for flat surfaces.

Diamond (stone carving tool)

Diamond-tipped tools used for parting and shaping hard materials.

Pneumatic tools

Air-powered tools with various attachments for carving and shaping stone or metal.

Okir design

A Maranao symbolic motif used in woodcarving to convey meaning.

Oblation (Guillermo Tolentino)

Tolentino’s Oblation is a classic example of a Philippines free-standing sculpture.

MacArthur Landing Memorial

A free-standing sculpture in Palo, Leyte commemorating General MacArthur’s return.

Ramon Orlina

Filipino sculptor known for glass sculpture and architectural glass works.