The mission of the sculpture program is to teach both perceptual skills and conceptual ideas. Perceptual skills are acquired through working from observation utilizing live models, and conceptual ideas about the construction and design of the human body that can be traced back to the sculptors of ancient Greece. Our sculpture curriculum is divided into three major programs and can be completed in 6 trimesters. The sculpture programs are part-time and take place Monday and Tuesday each week of the trimester. All students work from a live model on Mondays, and on technical and conceptual lessons typically without a model on Tuesdays.
● Intro to Sculpture: Form, Structure and Technique (2 trimesters)
● Intermediate Sculpture: Anatomy and Architectonic Construction (2 trimesters)
● Advanced Sculpture: Concept, Design and Artistic Practice (2 trimesters)
INTRO TO SCULPTURE: FORM, STRUCTURE AND TECHNIQUE
In the first two trimesters, students will learn fundamental ideas about the additive process in sculpture. The program is taught utilizing the medium of water-based clay. Water-based clay is an accessible and forgiving medium in which students can execute studies quickly, and begin learning fundamental concepts about how to communicate with three dimensional representations of the human figure.
● Modeling from Life: Students will begin modeling in clay from a live nude model and will be introduced to ideas about the underlying architecture of the skeleton, and how it dictates the exterior topography of the figure. They will learn basic techniques for the construction of an armature, and sketching in clay without an armature.
● Master Copies: Students will use clay to model copies of plaster casts to hone their perceptual skills. This will introduce them to how sculptors of the past have organized and simplified forms to make clear and cohesive works of art. They will also dissect and diagram two dimensional copies of various works from art history to learn how other artists have conceptualized the human form to communicate more effectively.
● Mold Making and Casting: Water-based clay is an impermanent material, and works in this medium are traditionally preserved through either firing in a kiln, or molding and casting into another material. Mold making and casting is a craft in and of itself. A basic understanding of the process is important regardless of whether or not an artist plans to utilize this process in their own practice. Students will
begin making molds and casting in plaster, but will also have the opportunity to experience molding with contemporary rubber materials.
● Relief: Students will learn the methodology for compressing forms into a shallow depth to create a relief. This form of sculpture has a rich history in Western art, and is essentially a compression and distortion of three dimensional forms, meaning this typically more subtle form of sculpture carries a high degree of complexity.
INTERMEDIATE SCULPTURE: ANATOMY & ARCHITECTONIC CONSTRUCTION
The second sculpture program introduces the student to advanced ideas about anatomy, and how to design the human figure with underlying architectural principles. Looking back to ancient Greece, sculptors throughout history have observed the natural patterns present in the human body. Through the study of anatomy, students will learn how to recognize these patterns and create an architectural system that utilizes patterns to organize complex forms into a cohesive representation of the human figure.
● Écorché: Students will study human anatomy from the inside out by sculpting a series of écorchés. The student will first sculpt the human skeleton, and then build the musculature on top of the skeleton. A full figure in reference pose at a small scale will be first, followed by the more detailed and intricate areas of the body. Students are encouraged to keep these écorché studies to use as future reference.
● Modeling from Life: Advanced sketching techniques are introduced, and the scale of the sculptures is increased. As students progress with their anatomical study, the time spent working with the model is valuable to start experimenting with their new knowledge and how it applies and translates into observational sculpture.
● Proportional Systems: Throughout history different conventions of proportion have been used for various aesthetic purposes. Students will begin learning how these systems function and how to manipulate them to communicate different ideas and feelings.
● Structural Anatomy: Students will explore architectural conceptions of the bones and soft tissue, and learn how to use the observable natural patterns found within the human body to organize the complexities of the figure.
ADVANCED SCULPTURE: CONCEPT, DESIGN AND ARTISTIC PRACTICE
In this program students will begin the transition from student into practicing artist. These final two trimesters encourage the student to begin utilizing and refining the tools acquired in previous trimesters. Figurative sculpture is looked at from both a design and communication perspective. The student is asked
to begin experimenting with the manipulation of forms to not only depict the human figure, but also to communicate ideas or feelings.
● Modeling From Life: The scale of sculptures is increased yet again, and the student is pushed to begin experimenting with how to balance the task of faithfully copying the model from observation with utilizing architectonic construction techniques as well as various systems of proportion.
● Multi-Figure Composition: Students are asked to begin combining multiple figures into one composition, and face a whole new set of problems to solve as they learn how to organize volumes of space and form with dramatically increased complexity.
● Working From Imagination and Other Sources: Utilizing their knowledge of structural anatomy, students are encouraged to start working without a model to expand their capabilities and range. Working from imagination and utilizing secondary sources can provide a freedom to create poses a model could not hold.
● Varied Materials and Processes: As students begin to explore their own visual language, they are encouraged to explore other media beyond clay and plaster to better suit their own needs. Once the formal concepts of form and design are understood, an artist must begin synthesizing their ideas and aesthetic values with their medium of choice.
