Art and Design A comprehensive guide for creative artists - Aaltodoc

CHAPTER ELEVEN
They made “clay representations of animals on granaries” in
figurative two or three-dimensional art forms. Ultimately,
Sculpture
today sculpture is used for very many purposes. Hence
Sculpture is the art of creating two or three dimensional
the reason why sculpture artworks are commonly found
forms that occupy or interact with real space.
in public spaces or places such as inside and outside
Creative functional artworks of sculpture can be produced
community buildings like hotels, schools and churches.
in various forms such as abstract, real-life and relief. Yet gain,
Elements and principles of sculptural design
nearly all kinds of sculpture artworks can be produced by
A successful artwork of sculpture is more than forms. Just
using materials like wood, stone, iron, metal, cement and very
like every other artwork. Sculpture is produced on suitable
many other recycled and natural materials.
guidelines of elements and principles of design. Mujjuzi
Apart from that, sculpture artworks can be creatively
(2009; 19) comments, “Space, mass, volume, line, texture,
executed by using techniques like carving, assembling,
light and movement are included in elements of sculpture”
welding, patching, modelling and casting et cetera.
as a way of achieving the most delightful designs of
In Africa, sculpture was done for magical worships,
rituals and other social customs. It was mainly decorative,
sometimes smooth or textured, carved from wood or
clay. Levin (2005, 111), offers a rational explanation: “Until
sculpture artworks.
Let us have a brief analysis of the basic practical information
concerning elements and principles of design and how they
can be used on a sculpture artwork:
colonial times, when a tourist market for art was developed,
a. Lines and contours are imaginary elements of design
almost all African sculpture had—and still has—religious or
used to enhance structural interconnections of forms
magical purposes.”
on a sculpture. Line and contour are guided by outer
Besides, most of the sculptural artworks found in the
and inner line formations that give movement and
various parts of Africa are linked to the locale of the
vitality to the sculpture. “Movement patterns may be
executing material, as well as the environment and people's
curved, angular, geometric and so on.” (Peck 2007, 43)
ways of life. For instance “most West African sculptures are
carved in wood, but superb bronze and iron figures are
also produced, while some funerary figures are created
in terracotta and mud. The strange and uncompromising
forms found in West African sculpture are rarely the unique
creations of an inspired artist—the sculptures have always
been made to fulfil specific functions.” (Ham 2009, 69) notes
b. Mass is counterbalanced with solid. We can briefly
say that solid affects space created by a supporting
material used to execute a sculpture artwork. On the
other hand mass is the solid material of a sculpture. It
fills up in the space. Both mass and solid—in the actual
world, exist in three-dimensional space.
Clearly, then, as creative artist and learners of sculpture, it is
c. Colour is by large a natural occurrence of sculpture. It
important to learn more about sculpture and its functions
is usually determined by the type of materials used to
from African tribal people—their various ways of making
execute a distinct sculpture artwork. Several materials
useful sculpture from obtainable materials especially wood
in which sculptures are done can be finished without
and basing on reasons such as easy harvest, abundance
adding colour on their surfaces. Reason being, surfaces
and availability—in sufficient large quantities; adequate for
of sculpture artworks can still appear well without
producing sculpture artworks.
adding any colour pigments. Peck (2007, 78) discerns
Trowell et al. (1953, 117) affirm that in Uganda “... The Bamba
carved wooden figures” in addition to “the Bahutu and
Kiga.” The “Banyoro did carving” as well as “modelling.”
Furthermore, “Carved figures” were also found “among the
Lango.”
this point: “the use of colour is, of course, a matter of
personal preference.” For the reason that, sometimes
through experiments, surfaces of sculpture artworks
are decorated with paints.
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