Monuments created by Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson in the early 20th century in St Petersburg, Tallinn, Sevastopol and other places are dominant features of popular architectural ensembles in these cities. Adamson’s creative legacy – which includes a little-known large (more than two metre) sculpture of Peter I, the history of its creation and installation in 1916 and the statue’s subsequent fate – is explored in this article. Over the past century, the sculpture has disappeared and then been installed in a new location three times as a result of social cataclysms that occurred during this time. Each time the architectural community of the Ukrainian city of Poltava (where the sculpture is located) saved Adamson’s creatively successful work from destruction.
This research aims to examine the history and future of ceramic sculpture, evaluating the development of this significant art form. It observes the role and evolving face of ceramic sculpture art from ancient times to the present, discussing its potential in the future. In ancient times, people used ceramic sculptures to express their religious and mythological beliefs. Civilizations such as Ancient Egypt, Ancient Greece, and the Roman Empire reflected their beliefs and cultures through ceramic sculptures. During the Middle Ages and Renaissance periods, artisans produced ceramic sculptures to enhance the aesthetic and religious aspects of churches' interior decoration. The sculptures from these periods stood out for their traditional craftsmanship and handmade techniques. With the onset of the modern era, technological advancements have fundamentally transformed ceramic sculpture art. Artists have observed diversity and change in the artistic expressions of ceramic sculptures as they address societal, political, and environmental issues, creating new and contemporary works. The relationship between ceramic art and technology has continued to grow, especially with the recent advancements in 3D printing technology, which provide artists with greater creative freedom and allow for the creation of more complex forms and details in sculptures. While ceramic sculpture art remains an essential part of our cultural heritage, artists will continue to shape the thoughts and societal consciousness of people through ceramic sculptures in the future. As a form of art that has evolved throughout history, ceramic sculpture art will persist in representing the creativity and freedom of expression of artists, enhancing the artistic experiences of individuals with the conveniences brought about by technology.
Living and working for a month at the Sanskriti Foundation in Delhi, the artist’s life was watched and observed by a group of resident monkeys. This paper is based on notes begun during that studio residency and represents the critical reflections emerging alongside the hands-on sculptural practice. It is illustrated with close-up photographs of the artist’s sculpture that asks how encounters with fabled animals in densely populated 21st century urban areas can alter our understanding of the gaze as an inter-species gaze. The sculpture and paper begin to ask broader questions, including how can sculpture provide a different, and perhaps more tacit and empathetic, encounter with <i>the other</i> to enable a physical, mental or spiritual experience of cultural entanglement between the various onlookers? In how far is modelling the other’s gaze a form of embodiment and mimicry? Do the fast-changing camera angles and soundtracks of natural history programmes hinder an empathic inter-species encounter? Or, does the slow animation of the artist’s sculpted surface heighten a sense of being alongside equally curious, cunning and adaptable others such as crows, foxes and monkeys?
Ricardo Pimentel, Fernando Barroso-Barcenilla, Mélani Berrocal-Casero
et al.
Several disarticulated fish scales and a vertebral centrum were collected from the uppermost middle to lowermost upper Cenomanian beds of the vertebrate fossil site of Casais dos Carecos (Baixo Mondego region, Coimbra, West Portugal), corresponding to shallow carbonate and mixed facies (“Unit B”) of the Tentúgal Formation. The taphonomic preservation of these remains is adequate for their detailed taxonomical study. The scales are diagnosable for the species <i>Obaichthys africanus</i> Grande, as each one has a strong spine protruding from the middle of the posterior border in a rostrocaudal direction, a dorsoventral peg and socket, and a small anterodorsal process for articulation of adjacent scales. The sculpture with ganoid ridges and grooves distinguishes the studied remains from those of <i>O</i>. <i>decoratus</i> Wenz and Brito, which display rounded tubercles. The isolated Lepisosteoidea centrum is tentatively attributed to <i>O</i>. <i>africanus</i> as well, as it was found together with the scales, and no other compatible remains were found in the site. The fish material reported here constitutes the first record of <i>O</i>. <i>africanus</i> in the Baixo Mondego region and northern ranges of the Albian–Turonian West Portuguese Carbonate Platform, as well as in the uppermost middle to basal upper Cenomanian of Portugal.
Introduction. In 1978–1980, during the excavations of a 10th – 11th century’s house in Laspi, were found fragments of marl capital, which was decorated with eagle figurines. The aim of the study is reconstruction of this architectural detail and the introduction of the artifact into scientific circulation. Methods. The methodological basis of the studies is made up of a detailed description, graphic interpretation and formal-stylistic analysis of the fragments. The method of analogies is used in restoring of structural links and identifying of individual elements, which were completely or partially lost. Analysis. Among the surviving fragments all the main parts are represented. They do not fit together, but structurally and compositionally complement each other, which makes it possible to relatively reliably restore the original appearance of an architectural detail. The capital consisted of two zones and had exquisite carved decor. The relief images of the birds that supported the edges of the abacus are made with the utmost anatomical precision. The lower part of the artifact was decorated with four identical leaves of acanthus, which were made using the technique of a small tooth. Each of them was framed by an arch. Results. The capital is a unique piece of local stone sculpture of the 10th century, exact analogies of which are unknown neither in the territory of Crimea, nor over its borders. While it was making, the master could use an early Byzantine product as a sample, which was subsequently lost or has not yet been found.
History of Russia. Soviet Union. Former Soviet Republics, International relations
The rubric of the presence of Buddhist sculpture in the absence of an actual deity represents an admirable aspect of Buddhist art, especially sculpture, where the best works have drawn on this paradox in an astounding fashion. An important element in the realization of this religious archetype is the Buddhist statues’ sublime poses. This article demonstrates the Buddhist posture hierarchy, based on a case study of a Tang-Dynasty Chinese Buddhist Bronze collected by the Pulitzer Arts Foundation, the posture of which is identified as <i>lalitāsana:</i> one leg pendant and the other bent horizontally. This article shows how this pose engendered various other compositional situations and postures popular in East Asia icon design and, moreover, that this sculpture might form part of an assemblage, where the pose indicates the central Buddha figure, to which all of the other figures are formally and doctrinally posed following a hierarchy. This article argues that Buddhist figures of different religious ranks are characterized by their pose and degree of movement. This research proves that the myriad forms of Buddhist postures and hierarchy have been devised to illustrate mythologies and philosophical, doctrinal, or social concepts, and their representations, in turn, have engendered other myths and beliefs.
O texto seguinte tem como objetivo central refletir sobre uma prática artística, na área da escultura que tem como referente o corpo humano. O tema abordado é a transformação e limites da forma humana, naturais ou imaginados, conforme defendidos pela autora. Tentaremos clarificar a questão principal da nossa prática artística e o modo como concebemos a representação através da parte do corpo. No último momento do texto faremos a apresentação de quatro obras concebidas durante os anos de 2021 e 2022.
Although manual surveying is still the most relevant tool for the study of sculpture, archaeologists have recently started using new technologies such as photogrammetry, lasergrammetry and reflectance transformation imaging (RTI). The scatter charts generated constitute digital prints from which cross-sections, profiles and orthophotographs may be extracted. It is possible to restore missing parts of the sculptures and to create assemblages that are often impossible to implement otherwise. The virtual model also makes it possible to test hypotheses. We will thus study the advantages and disadvantages of these new digital surveys using various examples, most of which come from our own work.
This article analyzes Marian art in Spain from the tenth to nineteenth centuries in order to show how popular piety represented Mary’s motherhood. Through art, including architecture, painting, sculpture, and oral preaching, a popular image of Mary emerged and, in turn, became key for understanding the history of the family in western Catholic countries. Studying the evolution of Marian iconography during this thousand-year period reveals a kind of grandeur, and then a certain crisis, surrounding Mary’s motherhood. This crisis specifically involves the meaning of the body as an effective sign of the personal gift-of-self. We argue that this process ran parallel to growing problems in theological culture related to reconciling the natural and supernatural realms, and we further sustain that it contains a true cultural revolution, a shift that is at the origin of many later transformations. This interpretation helps better understand the dilemmas surrounding the history of the family in the West, and specifically of motherhood, from the point of view of the Christian tradition.
After almost 200 years of exposure, the monuments of General Scharnhorst and Bülow have been analysed by means of ultrasound. Both sculptures are made of Carrara marble, both sculptures have been exposed to the same environmental influences and both sculptures are, based on the results of the ultrasonic measurements, in alarming conditions. This statement can be made because of the data of three different measurement investigations within the last 12 years. In this short exposure time, the already low velocities have been reduced by 16.2% and 14.7%. The very low average velocity of 2.8 km/s for the sculpture of General Bülow and a slightly higher average velocity of 3.2 km/s for the Scharnhorst sculpture indicate that both sculptures are in a poor condition, even though a protective winter shelter has been used since 2004. Comparing tomographic velocity measurements performed in 2006 with the measurements made in 2018 was possible and showed that even areas with a thickness up to 90 cm show alarming low ultrasonic velocities down to 2.6 km/s. Even if the circumstances for both sculptures have been the same, they differ in their weathering state. The careful and transparent documentation of all measurements was in this context the most important aspect for the comparative studies. Irregularities in their weathering behaviour of the two statues can be distinguished, allowing an in-depth analysis of the deterioration of the marble.
With exquisite design and unique style, the painted sculptures of Tutang Buddha and two attendants Buddha in Jingyin Temple are precious cultural heritages of China. The sculpture of Tutang Buddha, which was carved from a mound and painted by ancient craftsmen, was rarely found in ancient China. However, due to natural and human factors, the sculptures were severely damaged. Obviously, they require urgent and appropriate protection and restoration. In this study, samples taken from the sculptures were analysed through multiple analytical techniques, including scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectrometry (SEM–EDS), Raman spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), optical microscopy (OM) and granulometry. The analysis results enable us to infer the techniques used by the craftsmen in making the sculptures and provide a reliable evidence for the conservation and future protection of these and similar sculptures.
This paper examines church decoration during the Transitional period (ca.
650-850), focusing on unpublished elements from the Fatih Camii (Hagios
Stephanos?) in Zeytinbağı (Trilye). Located on the south shore of the Sea of
Marmara, the church may be securely dated to the early years of the ninth
century. Among the variety of decorative details uncovered during an
unauthorized restoration in 1997 are more than a dozen fragments of opus
sectile. The variety of these panels expands the corpus of geometric
patterns known from the period; in addition, opus sectile seems to have been
used both on the walls and the floor.
Brick elements are very popular and have been widely used in many areas, such as toy design and architectural fields. Designing a vivid brick sculpture to represent a three‐dimensional (3D) model is a very challenging task, which requires professional skills and experience to convey unique visual characteristics. We introduce an automatic system to convert an architectural model into a LEGO sculpture while preserving the original model's shape features. Unlike previous legolization techniques that generate a LEGO sculpture exactly based on the input model's voxel representation, we extract the model's visual features, including repeating components, shape details and planarity. Then, we translate these visual features into the final LEGO sculpture by employing various brick types. We propose a deformation algorithm in order to resolve discrepancies between an input mesh's continuous 3D shape and the discrete positions of bricks in a LEGO sculpture. We evaluate our system on various architectural models and compare our method with previous voxelization‐based methods. The results demonstrate that our approach successfully conveys important visual features from digital models and generates vivid LEGO sculptures.
In this paper, monuments dedicated to Telesfor, discovered in the territory of today's Serbia were mentioned. With the cult of Telesfor four findings may be connected originating from three localities. Monuments undoubtedly dedicated to Telesfor were to be found at sculptural group from Mediana, epigraphic monument from Pećka Banja and relief-epigraph monument from Prizren. This short list may be added by fragments of sculptural group from Mediana as well. Out of the mentioned sculptural group, fragmented sculpture Asklepia and the base of group with the traces of feet of two deities were preserved. The cult of God-boy of Telesfor, the sun of Asclepius, had undoubtedly iatric character. Telesfor had taken care of the health and progress of children until their maturity, and during the recovering and cure of all diseased. Future research, field and theoretic ones, will have brought new findings and interpretations connected to numerous issues being raised by the study of this cult.
History (General) and history of Europe, Social sciences (General)
The Torso of Akhenaten in the Brooklyn Museum is an excellent example of Amarna style sculpture—an artistic technique employed during the reign of the “heretic” pharaoh Akhenaten. This study uses photogrammetry to render an accurate 3D state model and a subsequent reconstruction model intended to help address questions regarding the nature of worship centered on the Aten. The reconstruction is based on theological and royal iconography specific to the Amarna period. It sheds light on the religious reorganization of the New Solar Theology and aims to facilitate a better understanding of the role of royal statuary in the context of an Egyptian temple.
Depuis quelques années, la réémergence de l’intérêt porté à Lars Fredrikson, pionnier des pratiques sonores expérimentales, soulève un certain nombre de problématiques liées à la question du son en art et de la pédagogie de l’écoute dans les écoles. Porteur d’une conception plastique et corporelle de l’écoute, l’enseignement de Lars Fredrikson à la Villa Arson entre 1970 et 1991 - où il crée le premier studio son dans une école d’art en France – permet d’observer la transmission auprès d’une génération d’artiste, de pratiques sonores durablement marquées par un rejet de l’approche musicale et une compréhension du son comme « matière vivante ». Ce déplacement des caractéristiques de la sculpture, et plus généralement des arts visuels, vers le domaine vibratoire, s’accompagne de la persistance d’un goût pour une « esthétique du signal », propre aux outils de l’esthétique analogique, qui apparaît à plusieurs échelles dans la création chez ces artistes.
Bien que beaucoup de statues chypriotes de diverses tailles soient pourvues d’inscriptions en syllabaire ou en caractères grecs déclarant les noms des personnages, nous ne connaissons que quatre ou cinq attestations de noms de sculpteur. C’est évidemment le contraire de la situation en Grèce « métropolitaine » où les artistes signent couramment les sculptures, comme les céramiques. Diverses inscriptions phéniciennes (surtout celles de Kition) donnent le nom et le métier des personnages, mais rarement le nom des artistes. Toutefois, les statues et statuettes chypriotes représentent une variété de types beaucoup plus étendue que celles de l’art grec « métropolitain », et nous pouvons supposer que cette iconographie était transparente. Le plus important est sans doute l’exceptionnel ensemble de types iconographiques qui caractérise la sculpture chypriote, parallèlement au décor figuré des vases.
Abstract Bronze has been positioned as the medium par excellence for sculptural production bearing the aesthetic, symbolic and poetic values that have propitiated the construction of a metallurgical archetype, which has its genesis in its physicochemical, metallurgical and mechanical properties. Of these properties, the formation of the patina is the one that contributes most to the construction of its poetic image, since it is the one that, along with the form, suddenly appears before the spectators, directly affecting their perception of the work. To exemplify this, we analyze the patina of the sculpture La Piedad by Bernardo Vieco using SEM–EDX and XRD. The results show a non-protective patina that, added to the other factors of deterioration of the work, contribute to the drama of the scene that is represented, taking it from pain and impotence before the death of a loved one, to a state of hopelessness and apathy embodied in a bronze that deteriorates over time with environmental factors and neglect in the protection and conservation of the work. Graphical abstract Sculpture La Piedad of Bernardo Vieco and some of their samples evaluated.