Unit 5: Overview
Painting gives you everything on a flat surface. Sculpture occupies the same space you do. It has mass, volume, and weight. You can walk around it. In some cases you can touch it. That physical presence is what sets sculpture apart from every other visual art, and it is what Unit 5 asks you to pay attention to.
The unit covers the major techniques of sculpture (carving, modeling, casting, constructing) and the key distinction between relief sculpture (attached to a background) and sculpture in the round (freestanding, meant to be seen from all sides). It also introduces the concept of sensory space: the idea that the space around a sculpture is not empty but is shaped by the sculpture itself.
As you read, notice how this unit keeps returning to the human body. More than any other subject, the body has been sculpture's primary concern for thousands of years. The unit asks why.
Learning Objectives
After completing this unit, you should be able to:
- Distinguish between relief sculpture (sunken, low, and high) and sculpture in the round
- Identify the major techniques of sculpture: carving, modeling, casting, and constructing
- Explain the concept of sensory space and how it applies to sculpture
- Describe the relationship between sculpture and the human body
- Apply descriptive and interpretive criticism to three-dimensional works
What you'll do in this unit
- Explore the Gallery at the top of the lesson, taking your time with each work
- Work through the lesson and open each numbered section
- Try the Experience It activity at the end of the lesson
- Write your reflection, then take the quiz