Subtractive Plaster Sculptures

Assignment •  EnduringIdea:TheprocessofAbstrac/onu/lizingformandmovementandinspiredby

theworksofConstan/nBrancusi,HenryMooreandBarbaraHepworth.

•  Technique:Subtrac/vemethod,chiseling•  Materials:•  Flatheadscrewdriversforchiseling(fromdollarstore!)asmakeshiIchisels(orreal

chiselsifbudgetallows),plasterrasps,rifflerrasps,sandpaper,solidplasterblocks(pouredintoemptycartonsandplas/ccontainers–like½gallonDelicontainers)

•  Finish:metallicspraypaint,shoepolish,cleargloss

•  Objec5ves:•  Studentswilliden/fyandcri/quetheworkofBarbaraHepworth,HenryMooreand

Constan/neBrancusibytheirworksasmo/va/onforcrea/onofaplastersculpture.Theplastersculpturewillbecompletebyimplemen/ngthesubtrac/vesculp/ngmethod.FormandmovementwillbeconcentratedonbecauseofthedominanceofthetwoelementsinHepworthandBrancusi’swork.

• 

WHATISABSTRACTION?

•  Abstractartisdefinedasartthathasnoreferencetoanyfigura5vereality.Initswiderdefini5onthetermdescribesartthatdepictsrealformsinasimplifiedorratherreducedway‐keepingonlyanallusionoftheoriginalnaturalsubject.Theabstractpain5ngsofJoanMiroareagoodexampleofthiswiderdefini5on.Thetermnon‐figura)veisusedasasynonym.

Whatisbiomorphic?

•  Thetermwasfirstusedin1936,byAlfredH.Barr,Jr.Biomorphistartfocusesonthepowerofnaturallifeandusesorganicshapes,withshapelessandvaguelysphericalhintsoftheformsofbiology.Biomorphismhasconnec/onswithSurrealismandArtNouveau.

Barbara Hepworth

Englishsculptor,oneofthemostimportantfiguresinthedevelopmentofabstractartinBritain.

ShetrainedatLeedsSchoolofArt,whereshebecameafriendofHenryMoore,andattheRoyalCollegeofArt.Herearlysculptureswerequasi‐naturalis5candhadmuchincommonwithMoore’swork,bytheearly1930sherworkwasen5relyabstract

.Sheworkedbothinwoodandstone,andshedescribedanimportantaspectofherearlycareerasbeingtheexcitementofdiscoveringthenatureofcarving’‐

HerworkislikethefamoussculptureHenryMoore’syet,unlikehis,isnotrepresenta5onalinoriginbutconceivedasabstractforms.

Subtractive Plaster Sculptures Barbara Hepworth

OvalSculpture,

1943

“Figure for Landscape”

“TwoForms”

Henry Moore

Henry Moore Biography (Henry Moore born — 30 July 1898 Castleford, Yorkshire,

England

•  RegardedasoneofthemostgiIedandprolificsculptorsofthe20thcentury,HenryMoorebeganandsolidifiedatradi/oninartthatwasmoreorganicandabstract.Byhislateryears,hisfiguresweremassiveandcomprisedofmarbleandbronze.Heisnotedforhisamazingcrea/onsinwhathavebeendubbed,recliningnudes.

•  Inthe1930s,theBri/shpublicbeganpayingmorea_en/ontotheabstractmovementsoftheday.However,thisartdidn’tcomewithoutconsequence.Manycri/csfoundhisworkdisdainfulandMoorewaslateraskedtoresignfromtheRoyalCollegeofArt.HethenbegantoworkforotheracademiesinLondon.HewasinfluencedgreatlybyPabloPicasso,andkeptonworkingonhisownartregardlessofthecri/cs’reviews.

“Reclining Figure” (1951)

MotherandChild1934

Constantin Brancusi

Constantin Brancusi (Born Feb. 21, 1876)

•  ThesculpturesofConstan/nBrancusiblendsimplicityandsophis/ca/oninsuchauniquewaythattheyseemtodefyimita/on.Yetitisimpossibletothinkofanar/stwhohasbeenmoreinfluen/alinthetwen/ethcentury.

•  Almostsingle‐handedly,Brancusirevolu/onizedsculpture,inventedmodernism,andshapedtheformsandconceptsofindustrialdesignasweknowittoday.

•  HewashighlyinfluencedbyRodinandManRay(famoussculptors)yethewantedtopavehisownwaywithhisownart.

“MaleTorso”Oneofhisfamousworks

(Bronze)

Carving and adding to the sculpture

•  OneofthegreatadvantagesofplastersculptureisthatyoucanaddtothebasicshapeevenaIertheplasterhasdried.Thismeansthatifyoudecidethatthenoseofyoursculptureshouldbelarger,youcansimplymixsomeplasterandaddthistothenose.Therearesomethingsyoushouldknowbeforeaddingtothesculpture.Plasterwillnotadherewelltoplasterifitistoodry.Thebestmethodofaddingplastertoplasteristofirstlycutgroovesintothedryplaster.Thishelpstheadhesionofthenextlayerofwetplaster.

•  Secondly,itisagoodideatowetthesurfacedriedplaster,asthiswillalsocreateadhesion.Somesculptorsalsoapplycoldglueorwhitegluetothesurfaceofthedrysculpture.Ideallyyoushouldnotwaitfortheplastertobecompletelydrybeforefinishingthisprocess.

•  Onceyouhavetheroughshapeoftheform,youcanbegincarvingthefinalform.Carvingintoplasterisextremelyeasywhenitiss/llslightlywet.Theplasterbecomesharderwithinafewhoursand,dependingontheconsistencyofyouroriginalmixture,canbecomealmostrockhardoveraperiodofdaysandweeks.Theideal/meistobegincarvingisaboutthreehoursaIertheplasterhasbeguntoset,i.e.gethard.

•  TherearenumeroussetsofbasiccarvingtoolsthatcanbeboughtatcraIshops.Thesesetsareusuallyintendedforwoodcarving,butareidealforplaster.Onthehand,youcanusealmostanysharpinstrumenttocarveplaster.CarveintothesoIplasteranddeterminethemainareasofyourfacefirst.Inotherwords,carveoutthenose,mouth,checkbones,eyesetc.Onceyourplasterhardensyoucanrefinetheseareasmoreeasily.Rememberthatifyoufindthatyouhavenotaddedenoughplastertoyourarmatureyoucanalwaysaddsmallamountsofplaster,usingthemethodsuggestedabove.

Mixing Plaster •  PlasterofParisworksthoughwaterabsorp/on.•  Thepowderfromtheplasterabsorbsthewateranddevelopsintoatough,resilientmaterial

onceithasdried.Therela/onshipbetweentheamountofwaterandtheplasteriscrucialwhenmixingthetwo.

•  ToomuchwaterwillmaketheplastersoIandcrumbly.Thebestmethodformixingtheplastercorrectlyisasfollows:Takeabucketandfillittojustbelowhalfofitsdepthwithcleanwater.

•  Openyourbagofplasterandscoopahandfulofplaster.Droptheplasterintothewaterusingyourfingersasafilteringtooltoensurethatnoforeignobjectsenterthewater.

•  Youmayalsouseanordinarykitchensieveforthispurpose;butthisismore/meconsumingandisonlynecessarywhencas/ngaplastermoldfromclay

•  Con/nuetheprocessbyscoopinghandfulsofplasteranddroppingthemgentlyintothewater.Theprocessneedstobecon/nuousandyoushouldnotstopforabreakatthispoint.

•  Rememberthattheplasterpowerisalreadybeginningtoreactchemicallywiththewaterandisstar/ngto“set”orharden.Whentheplasterstartstoformsmallmoundsontopofthewaterthenthecorrectbalancebetweenthewaterandplasterhasbeenreached.

•  Thenextstepistogentlyinsertyourhandintothebucketofplasterandwaterandsearchforanyobjects,leavesetc.thatmayhavefallenin.Gentlys/r,searchingforclumpsofplasterandbreakingthemup.Thisprocessalsohastheadvantageofbringingairbubblestothesurfaceandensuringthattheplasterisuniform.

The final product

•  Nowthatyouhavecarvedyourmasterpiece,thereareafewthingsthatyoushouldconsider.

•  Plasterisnotintendedasanoutdoormediumforsculpture.Althoughitiscompara5velystrongandresistant,itiscanweatherfairlyeasilyifleVoutdoorsforaperiodof5me.However,plastercanbekeptindoorsand,aslongasitisnotthrownabout,willlastforyears.

•  Sculptorsusuallyuseplastermodelsasanintermediatestageinthedevelopmentoftheirart.Theseplastersculpturesarethencastintoamoredurablemateriallikebronze.Buttherearemanysculptors,includingPicasso,whoretainedplastersculpturesintheiroriginalplasterform.Asafinaltouchyoucanuseanyclearvanishtoprotectthesculpture.