Three Dimensional Art Three-dimensional works Have height, width, and depth Pyramids are an example Possess four of the visual elements: form, volume, mass, and texture 1.28 Three dimensions: height, width, and depth

Form Shapes are flat; forms are three-dimensional Scale refers to the size of an object Forms have two fundamental attributes: volume and mass Volume is the amount of space a form occupies Mass is the expression of solidity Texture is the sensation of touching Artists sometimes evoke our memory of touch Materials can communicate ideas

1.29 Great Sphinx of Giza, c. 2650 BCE, Giza, Egypt

Geometric Form Regular forms, readily expressible in words or numbers Cubes, spheres, cylinders, cones, and pyramids are simple examples

1.30 Great Pyramid of Khufu, c. 2560 BCE, Giza, Egypt

The Pyramids of Giza

1.31 David Smith, Cubi XIX, 1964. Stainless steel, 113¼ x 21⅝ x 20⅝”

Organic Form Organic forms are derived from living things Irregular and unpredictable Can be used for expressive effect

1.32 Vesperbild (Pietà), Middle Rhine region, c. 1330. Wood, 34½” high. Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn, Germany

1.33 Lino Tagliapietra, Batman, 1998. Glass, 11½ x 15½ x 3½”

Form in Relief and in the Round A relief is a work in which forms project from a flat surface It is designed to be viewed from one side only A form in the round can be seen from all sides

1. 34 Imperial Procession, from the Ara Pacis Augustae, 13 BCE 1.34 Imperial Procession, from the Ara Pacis Augustae, 13 BCE. Marble altar. Museo dell’Ara Pacis, Rome, Italy

1. 35 Stela with supernatural scene, Mexico or Guatemala, 761 CE 1.35 Stela with supernatural scene, Mexico or Guatemala, 761 CE. Limestone, 92 x 42 x 3”. Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

Volume Volume is the amount of space occupied by an object Architectural forms usually enclose a volume of interior space to be used for living or working 1.36 Volume and mass

Open Volume When artists enclose a space with materials that are not completely solid, they create an open volume

1. 37a Ralph Helmick and Stuart Schechter, Ghostwriter, 1994 1.37a Ralph Helmick and Stuart Schechter, Ghostwriter, 1994. Cast metal/stainless cable, 36 x 8 x 10’. Evanston Public Library, Illinois

1.37b Detail of Ghostwriter

1.38 Vladimir Tatlin, Model for Monument to the Third International, 1919

1. 39 Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse, In the Blue (Crest), 2008 1.39 Carol Mickett and Robert Stackhouse, In the Blue (Crest), 2008. Painted cypress, 24 x 108 x 11’. Installation at St. Petersburg Art Center, Florida

Mass Mass suggests that something is solid and occupies space Our perception of mass is derived from our imagination, our previous experience with smaller objects, and our understanding of the forces of nature Mass can suggest weight in a three-dimensional object Mass does not necessarily imply heaviness, only that a volume is solid and occupies space

1. 40 Colossal Head, Olmec, 1500–1300 BCE. Basalt 1.40 Colossal Head, Olmec, 1500–1300 BCE. Basalt. Museo de Antropología, Veracruz, Mexico

1. 41 Rachel Whiteread, House, 1993. Concrete 1.41 Rachel Whiteread, House, 1993. Concrete. Bow, London, England (demolished 1994)

1. 42 Marisol (Escobar), Father Damien, 1969 1.42 Marisol (Escobar), Father Damien, 1969. Bronze, State Capitol Building, Honolulu, Hawaii

Texture Texture is the tactile sensation we experience when we physically encounter a three-dimensional form When we think of texture, we mostly rely on the impressions we receive from our hands When we look at a surface we can imagine how its texture feels

1.43 Nam June Paik, TV Buddha, 1974. Closed-circuit video installation with bronze sculpture, monitor, and video camera, dimensions vary with installation. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands

1. 44 Méret Oppenheim, Object, 1936 1.44 Méret Oppenheim, Object, 1936. Fur-covered cup, saucer, and spoon, 2⅞” high. MOMA, New York

1.45 Frank Gehry, Guggenheim Museum, 1997, Bilbao, Spain

1. 46 Louise Bourgeois, Maman, 1999 (cast 2001) 1.46 Louise Bourgeois, Maman, 1999 (cast 2001). Bronze, stainless steel, and marble, 29’4⅜” x 32’9⅛ x 38’1”. Guggenheim Museum, Bilbao, Spain

Conclusion Three-dimensional art is expressed in height, width, and depth Forms can be geometric or organic Volume is the amount of space occupied by the form Mass is the impression that the volume is solid and occupies space The surface of the form can be described in terms of its texture Artists can use the language of three-dimensional art to express many ideas and emotions

Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts This concludes the PowerPoint slide set for Chapter 1.2 Gateways to Art: Understanding the Visual Arts By Debra J. DeWitte, Ralph M. Larmann, M. Kathryn Shields Copyright © 2011 Thames & Hudson

Picture Credits for Chapter 1.2 1.28 Ralph Larmann 1.29, 1.30 Photo Heidi Grassley © Thames & Hudson Ltd, London 1.31 Photo courtesy the Marlborough Gallery Inc., New York. © Estate of David Smith/DACS, London/VAGA, New York 2011 1.32 Rheinisches Landesmuseum, Bonn 1.33 Photo Russell Johnson. Courtesy Lino Tagliapietra, Inc. 1.34 Museo dell’Ara Pacis, Rome 1.35 Fine Arts Museum of San Francisco, Museum Purchase, Gift of Mrs Paul Wattis 1999, 42 a-k 1.36 Ralph Larmann 1.37a, 1.37b Photo Clements/Howcroft, MA, USA. Courtesy the artists 1.38 Photo Nationalmuseum, Stockholm 1.39 Photo Andrew Hawthorne. Courtesy the artists 1.40 Photo Irmgard Groth-Kimball © Thames & Hudson Ltd, London 1.41 Photo Sue Ormerod. © Rachel Whiteread. Courtesy Gagosian Gallery, London 1.42 © Marisol, DACS, London/VAGA, New York 2011 1.43 Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam 1.44 Museum of Modern Art, New York, Purchase, Acc. no. 130.1946.a-c. Photo 2011, Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Florence. © DACS 2011 1.45 © Romain Cintract/Hemis/Corbis 1.46 © Louise Bourgeois Trust/DACS, London/VAGA, New York 2011