An ivory statuette from the Paleolithic period, dating back to around 35,000 BC, is one of the oldest sculptures ever discovered. Discovered in a cave in Hohlenstein-Stadel, Germany in 1939, it was carved out of mammoth tusk. Called Löwenmensch (German for 'lion human'), it is about 12” tall, and depicts a human figure with a feline face. It has been estimated that the carving, using primitive flint tools, likely took more than 350 hours to complete. Because tribes of the time lived on the edge of subsistence, spending such an extended amount of time in making this statuette suggests it must have been an extremely important artifact. It may have, perhaps, been intended for use in a shamanistic ritual, to curry protection for the tribe, or ensure a 'good hunt'.
The Great Sphinx in Egypt is probably one of the world's most famous sculptures. In opposite fashion to the Lowenmensch statuette, the Sphinx features, instead, the head of a human on the body of a lion. Originally carved out of the limestone bedrock, the Sphinx measures 65’ high and 240’ long. It has since been restored using stone blocks. Some historians believe the head is that of the pharaoh, Khafra. Though generally thought to date back to about 2500 BC, evidence of water erosion suggests it might possibly be much older.
In ancient Greek art, there's little distinction between the sacred and the secular. The Greek gods were thought to have human form, thus, the human form was considered to be the most important subject in Greek art. In sculpture, the early Greeks followed the Egyptian format very closely, carving very stiff, blocky figures in stone. During the Early Classical period of the 4th and 5th centuries BC, and transitioning into the Hellenistic period, sculptors began to break away from the rigid, Egyptian influenced model. Sculpture began to take on a much more realistic, natural look, with marble or bronze, not stone, the favored medium. And the subject matter, though depicting a greater sense of power and energy, became much less restricted to gods and nobles. For example, the Kritios Boy, carved in marble, is one of the earliest surviving examples of Greek sculpture from this period. Because bronze had 'scrap' value, few bronze examples of this period have survived. Using a technique that involves ultraviolet light, it has also just recently become known that most Greek sculpture was, apparently, typically painted in bright colors.
Until 325 AD, the Roman Empire was largely polytheistic. Sculptured works were generally intended to honour a variety of different Gods or members of nobility. Then, in 325 AD, Emperor Constantine made Christianity the official religion, and we start to see a shift in the subject matter of popular sculpture. Giant statues became less common, and portraiture began to dominate the field of Roman sculpture.
The Gothic era expanded on the religious sculptures of the early medieval period and the figures on churches became more elaborate. Prominent Biblical figures were shown in very high relief sculptures, which were often situated, free-standing, around the church.
By the beginning of the 15th century, the Renaissance ushered in an eclectic study of the humanities, including science, astronomy, and mathematics. Artists began to revisit the thoughtful and dignified perfection of Classical times. The invention of the printing press propagated these ideas, and artists began to show more interest in a scientific approach to reality.
The Renaissance masters, including Donatello, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Leonardo da Vinci, were figureheads of the times. Donatello was an Italian sculptor who worked in Florence in the mid 15th century. Leonardo da Vinci was a student of Donatello. And one of the most famous artists of all time, Michelangelo, was born in 1475. A genius and true 'Renaissance Man', one of Michelangelo's first sculptures was 'Madonna and Child', completed when he was only 16.
In 1497, he was commissioned to carve a Pietà. Showing the Virgin Mary grieving over the body of her deceased son. Completed when he was only 24 years old. This is the only work of art that Michelangelo ever signed. After it was unveiled, he heard spectators giving credit to others. So he snuck into the church in the middle of the night to make one last addition to his masterpiece. Carved into the ribbon across the Virgin’s chest, it reads, “Michelangelo Buonarroti, Florentine, made this."
In the 19th and 20th centuries, the art world reflected the rapid-fire changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution. Instead of focusing on perfect anatomy, details, and storytelling, artists began to pay more attention to what they perceived 'below the surface'. Personal expression and style took on greater importance in creating a truer rendition of reality.
Auguste Rodin is one of the more famous of the sculptors of the time, and is considered the father of modern sculpture.
A variety of art movements occurred during the modernist movement of the early 20th century. Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism, Pop Art, Minimalism, and Futurism all came about during this period.
Marcel Duchamp was one artist of the time who challenged the notion of what art really is. Duchamp was part of the Dada movement, a reaction to WWI that was basically 'anti-everything'. Duchamp’s 1917 exhibit, entitled 'Fountain', illustrates perfectly the pessimism, exasperation, and absurdity of the movement.
Although most famous as a painter, Pablo Picasso did also produce some sculptural pieces. In fact, his mixed media sculptures were especially influential in the beginning of the 20th century. These early sculpture creations employed a variety of unlikely objects, including cardboard, bike seats, plywood, tree branches, etc.
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For centuries on end, man has relied on the use of sculptures. It is a belief that the first sculptures made were in a bid to help people when they were out hunting.
Over time, the use of sculptures evolved such that by the start of civilization, people used them as a representation of gods. Ancient kings who wished to immortalize their rules had statues made in their likeness, and in so doing, they led to the beginning of portrait sculpting, an art that continues to date.
The Greeks too made use of sculptures, and a quick overview of their history reveals the use of statues to depict the form of human beings, in dimensions thought to be the ideal form of humans. The church too made use of figures. Back in the day, not many people were able to read or write, and the church thus needed a representation of what was right and evil and one that did not call for literacy. Thus, the use of statues depicting demons and devils became necessary, and it worked in reminding the churchgoers of their faith. Towards the end of the fifteenth century, people began to create statues using different techniques.
Over time, the use of statues expanded to honoring people for their work in the community. In the twentieth century, people saw it fit to put up an icon in the heart of New York City as a way to honor the work of a songwriter. The Sumerians too used this form of art to celebrate their wins against opponents. People who took part in the Second World War also honored the soldiers by putting up sculptures.
From the examples above, you can see that sculptures have played an essential role in our lives since time immemorial. Thanks to this, these creations have become common across the globe. In Greece, they stand amid water fountains and are as plentiful as the skyscrapers you would come across in the modern world.
The belief is that sculpting is one of the oldest forms of art, as it came to be before the discovery of painting. However, there aren’t many objects which can point to this truth. There exist hundreds of works made by sculptors in primitive cultures, and they act as a pointer as to what was existent before the evolution of this art. By what is available, it is clear that this art did not begin as a way to depict beauty, but instead, it was out of necessity. People created these forms for use in rituals geared towards their spirituality. At the time, people lived a life where they had to fight for survival, and this art created a form of solace which they could look to when times get hard.
The historical objects include figures of humans, animals as well as their combinations, and people worshipped them. The forms represented spirits which people would ask for blessings in the form of strong heirs, healthy crops, successful hunting and other things that added to their lives. The spiritual leaders also wore sculpted masks, and they would perform rituals in them, driving away spirits which people believed were evil.
Many early civilizations such as China and Egypt, amongst others, made use of sculpting, which eventually led to the dawn of several forms of writing. Let’s have a look:
The Egyptians had a strong belief in death such that when their Pharaoh died, they would bury him with goods which could meet his needs in life after that. They also preserved the bodies and placed them in pyramids. They had many statues, which served as representations of their gods, the nobles and their rulers and these were available in the burial sites and their temples. They believed that spirits could return to these statues.
There were also smaller statues which showed the people’s way of living. Some would represent their sailing activities, and others would show them herding cattle while others were a depiction of their house chores. The statues were such that they appeared alive.
Mesopotamia had a history of dealing with invasive floods and armies, and the society lacked the resources required for majestic structures. However, they created art using light materials such as shells, clay, and wood. The figures had cone shapes with small heads, large eyes and pointed noses, which was entirely different from what the Egyptians made.
Modern sculptors, borrowing from these civilizations and others such as the Romans and Greeks, were able to enhance the beauty of the art, thus relaying emotions, reality, and aesthetics in their resultant pieces.