This discipline represents figures in three dimensions: height, length and width. Sculpture is creating shapes and harmonizing volumes in space.

Sculpture exists in space and has its own means of expression. Volumes and masses are subjected to technique and rhythm.

Free sculpture Embossed sculpture

According to how they project over the surface, they are called:

EXCAVATED RELIEF when the volume does not protrude; it is sunk with respect to the flat surface. EXCAVATED RELIEF provides maximum clarity and great contrast between shadow and light, making the flat relief very much alive.

LOW RELIEF when figures barely protrude from the base

HALF RELIEF when half of the figure protrudes from the base

In antiquity, it was common to use the reliefs on monuments to tell stories.

We can also classify free sculptures by the position in which the figures are arranged : ERECT- when a sole figure is standing

LYING SEATED or sitting

ORANTE when kneeling or praying EQUESTRIAN when placed on a horse

GROUP when there are two or more figures

ORNAMENTAL when the purpose is decorative

Throughout history, there have not only been many styles and trends, but also a variety of techniques and materials for making sculptures. For stone, metal, clay or wood, the techniques used are CARVING, MODELING and CASTING.

More recently, during the 20 th century, new techniques have emerged such as welding, collage and assemblage and the use of new materials, such as natural elements (e.g. rocks, leaves), industrial wastes, plastics or neon fluorescent tubes. According to method, material and technique, there are three systems for making sculptures:

Materials Clay, metal, wood Techniques Modeling, welding, gluing Modeling materials soft and flexible such as: wax, plaster, clay.

Materials Hard materials such as stone, wood Techniques Sculpting, carving Tools Hammers, chisels

Materials Plaster, concrete, metal, plastics As metal can not be sculpted directly, it is melted and then cast into moulds or clay stone. Once cooled, the mould is broken and the work is visible.

SCULPTING AND CARVING

point to strike the material directly or with a hammer in order to get the initial rough shape claw/tooth chisel to refine the shape drill to make holes flat chisel to smooth the surfaces rasp or file to achieve the required finish sandpaper or pumice to polish the final product The tools used to work stone are:

THE MODEL Before the sculpture as a process of subtraction, there are procedures where volume is achieved by addition. The model uses soft materials like clay, plaster or wax. These materials are worked by hand with wood tips, wire tools, a spatula and a wet cloth. We must differentiate between the model as constituting a final work or as representing a sketch of the final work, either in stone or cast.

A bronze sculpture requires a prior model with an identical volume. From this original, a negative is made in the mold, which allows the sculptor to make as many copies as s/he wishes. The most common procedure is: HOLLOW CASTING This requires the construction of a nucleus, as a support on which the mold is placed, leaving an empty space for the alloy.

The idea of integrating elements from different sources to create a sculpture is present in historical tradition although the development of the idea of sculpture as a construction is linked to contemporary art. When these objects are integrated into a single body, the result is called ASSEMBLAGE.