The sculpture is a three-dimensional artistically made work that involves creation by putting into shape different forms of hard or soft materials. It involves the use of a human hand to mold something. The most commonly sculptured materials include stones, wood, clay, marble, paper, metal e.g. iron, bronze, and steel. These materials could be created by modeling, carving, casting, or constructing. The end materials for sculpturing may include representations such as statues, which is an illustration of a person, an animal, action figures, dolls, and many other substances. Apart from sculpture, other forms of art include painting, architecture, music, drama, literature, drawing, and film.
There are different types of sculptures including kinetic sculptures, which involve features of substantial movement, a statue representing an animal, a person, or event, freestanding sculpture that can be observed from any direction, relief sculpture e.g. sunken relief, site-specific art sculpture, and jewelry.
In the whole history of human life, the sculpture has been recognized as the most classic and important form of art that has been used in documentation. This is because it involves the use of human hands in addition to the sculptural skills and the basic sculptural tools. Sculptural work has been confirmed to be universal as compared to other forms of art. Unlike other forms of art, the sculpture was found in ancient civilizations such as the Roman Empire, ancient Egypt, American empires including other tribes in Polynesia and Amazon jungle (Castedo, 1969). The art of sculpture is currently found all over the world. As compared to other forms of art, it is mostly used in making statues of prominent persons, animals, and events.
Sculpture in most cases comes after painting. Of all the known forms of art, including painting sculpture is the most decent. Unlike painting, it does not require extreme inventiveness. This is because sculpture is always assisted by nature while the art of painting requires the painter to formulate a process in which very complex and imperative facts are involved. Nevertheless, the art of sculpture does not need the replication of colors, as does the art of painting. Since the art of sculpture involves the use of materials that can be transfigured it is taken to be one of the simplest. Thus, most public art is a sculpture.
The art of sculpture is logically superior to any other art that relies on drawing. This is because sculpture is three-dimensional and thus has a number of outlooks that must be uniformly made. Sculptures are also more real as compared to drawings. They are tangible, movable, and more satisfying as compared to drawings. For instance, if a person wants to see a figure of some prominent person he or she will be more satisfied when presented with a statue than when presented with a drawing.
In most cases, sculptors use recycled materials when making sculptures thus considered cost-effective as compared to other forms of art. In other forms for example in painting the painter has to get a new bucket of paint and usually several types and different colors. The same applies to drawing where new drawing materials are required every time a new drawing has to be made. Sculptural knowledge together with information technology has produced works of art like computers, light, and holograms that have been made with new technologies.
The art of sculpture is also considered the most classic of all forms of art because it produces permanent works because of the use of long-lasting materials by the sculptors. They use both expensive materials such as granite, bronze, and stone as well as less expensive materials such as hardwoods. This gives the art of sculpture a bigger advantage as compare to other forms of art thus enjoying a wider consumption.
Comparing to other forms of art sculptures appear to be more realistic. This is because they often represent events of real-life happenings, statues of real persons and animals, and in some cases demonstrate real-life teachings.
The sculpture is also considered more paying as compared to other forms of art. For instance, sculptors in the old days were known to be so rich to an extent of being ranked in the upper class.
In terms of aesthetic value, sculptural art seems to be more outstanding as compared to other forms of art. For example in African countries, the beauty of the sculptural art s of great significance in their lives and acts as protective mechanisms to both the artists and the community as a whole. The renaissance period was also marked with the art of sculpture, which produced very decorative arts on the walls of buildings that remained a trademark. In countries like Asia and Japan, the sculpture has been using in religious settings.
The art of sculpture is indeed the most classic of all the art forms due to its realistic nature and the outstanding beauty that it portrays. It always represents themes on different subjects like tradition, religion, or wildlife. The art of sculpture should therefore be supported and more investment is put onto it as different sculptors strive to come up with new ideas, ways, and materials of making sculptures.
Reference
Castedo, L. (1969). A Legend of Latin American Skill and architecture. Frederick A. Praeger, Publisher, New York.