Please get out your sketchbook and write in large decorative letters at the top of a clean page: “FIGURE, PROPORTION, AND THE HUMAN BODY”

ART I Lowery Freshman Center

Figure (n.) Human form in a work of art. Fig. 2. Gauguin, Paul. “ Under the Pandanus (I Raro te Oviri), 1891.”Dallas Museum of Art. 09 Dec 2008 How many figures do you see in this painting?

Portrait (n.) Image of a person, especially the face and upper body. Fig. 4. Manet, Edouard. “Portrait of Isabelle Lemonnier, c Dallas Museum of Art Dec 2008

Profile (n.) Side view of face.

Proportion (n.) Principle of art concerned with the size relationships of one part to another.

Human Body Proportion Fig. 1. Furmanczyk, Mario. “Basic Proportions for the Human Figure.” Human Proportion Reference for Artists. 09 Dec …is roughly 7.5 heads

Gesture Drawing (n.) Line drawing done quickly to capture movement of the subject’s body. Fig. 3. “Drawing Technique – Gesture Drawing.” 09 Dec 2008

Can you create a gesture drawing of this man?

Symmetry (n.) A special type of formal balance in which two halves of a balanced composition are identical, mirror images of each other.

Balance The ability of a form to stand alone without tipping over.

Sculpture A 3D figure or design; an artistically created form.

Space The emptiness around an object or the area an object occupies.

Armature The skeleton or the framework underneath a sculpture or 3D form.

Paper Mâché A mixture of liquid glue and paper used in sculpture to create a hardened form.

Figurative Sculpture

Alberto Giacometti Swiss sculptor, painter, draftsman, and printmaker. After WWII, he started sculpting in plaster from live models. He was influenced by the starved figures in concentration camps. His figures are the antithesis of the classical ideal: thin, fragile, and lumpy. Some say his figures show the isolation of modernism. He once said that he was sculpting not the human figure but "the shadow that is cast". Alberto Giacometti Photo by Henri Cartier-Bresson.Henri Cartier-Bresson

Works by Giacometti Giacometti, City Square, Giacometti, Cat, 1954.

Works by Giacometti Giacometti, Bust of Diego, 1954.Giacometti, The Falling Man, 1947.

William King Contemporary American sculptor born in Jacksonville, Florida. Specializes in the figurative portrayal of human form.

Works by William King William King, At the AirportWilliam King, Maus, Maybe and Snack, 1993.

Student Assignment Create a 3-dimensional figurative sculpture to symbolize an emotion. Key: Emphasize, Symbolize Choose a strong emotion such as: – Fear – Ecstasy – Anger – Confusion – Persecution – (You ADD)

The Student Will... Brainstorm emotions and create several thumbnail sketches. Choose one sketch to use as a plan for the sculpture. Create an armature out of wire. Attach it to a wooden base as a ground. Build up the form with papier-mâché. Exaggerate gesture and facial expression to signify a particular mood or emotion. Paint your figure and base. (Speak to teacher about color choice).

The Process...

Student Work