This document discusses three prominent sculptors: Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, and Constantin Brancusi, detailing their backgrounds, artistic influences, and notable works. It emphasizes their techniques, particularly carving, and highlights specific sculptures such as Moore's 'Reclining Figure' and Hepworth's various pieces. The document also includes sketches and brainstorming exercises to promote abstraction in sculpture design.

1. Abstract Sculpture Examples
(3 Artists)
Art 3/D Comp I
You need your SB. Information in
italics you will need to record, as well
as all sculptures.

2. Artists that used carving as a method to
create sculpture
• Henry Moore
• Barbara Hepworth
• Constantin Brancusi

3. Henry Moore: look at these websites
• The Henry Moore Foundation
• Artcyclopedia

4. Henry Moore Biography
• British Sculptor
• 1898-1986
• Son of a coal miner

5. Henry Moore Biography
• Studied at the Royal College of Art in
London until 1925
• Attracted to African, Pre-Columbian, and
Medieval art

6. Henry Moore Biography
• Worked in plaster, stone, and bronze
• Influenced by the contours of nature and
the human figure

7. Henry Moore Biography
• Henry Moore is famous for working
abstractly.
• He simplified objects by breaking them
down into curves, angles, and shapes

8. Henry Moore Biography
• For example, his 1939 sculpture Reclining
Figure is known for a series of holes that
pierce the solid mass and transforms it
into a kind of landscape of caves and
tunnels

9. Reclining Figure by Henry Moore
• Carved from Elm
(wood)
• 1939

10. Look at these images
• Wikipedia entry for Henry Moore

11. Two Piece Reclining Figure No. 5
• Bronze

12. Family Group
• Carved Stone

13. Large Interior Form
• Bronze

14. Barbara Hepworth
• British sculptor
• 1903-1975
• Was close friends with Henry Moore and
his art influenced hers.
• Her interest in sculpture began when she
visited Italy in 1925 and learned how to
carve marble.

15. Barbara Hepworth
• Was attracted to Egyptian and Greek art.
• She married British artist Ben Nicholson
and they worked together to make
successful art.

16. Barbara Hepworth
• In 1939 she began
incorporating string
into her sculpture.

17. Barbara Hepworth
• She also focused on working with wood.
• What would be the advantage to carving
wood over stone?

18. Barbara Hepworth
• Title: Oval Sculpture
• Media: Wood with painted white interior

19. Barbara Hepworth
• Title: Garden
• Media: Bronze

20. Barbara Hepworth
• Title: Conoid
Sculpture and Hollow
II
• Marble

21. Barbara Hepworth
• Title: Wave
• Date: 1943
• Media: wood with white painted interior and strings

22. Barbara Hepworth
• Title: Two Segments
and Sphere
• Date: 1935-1936
• Media: Marble

23. Constantin Brancusi
• Born in Romania
• Lived from 1876-1957

24. Constantin Brancusi
• Ran away at age 11 and worked as an
apprentice to a cabinet maker
• In 1904 Brancusi left to study art in Paris

25. Constantin Brancusi
• Worked in marble, plaster, and bronze
• Experimented with the form of the
egg, human head, and teardrop

26. Constantin Brancusi
• He used the egg (as
a metaphor) to
concentrate on ideas
of creation, birth, life,
and death.
• Title: The Newborn

27. Constantin Brancusi
• He also focused on variations of
abstracting the human face and body.

28. Constantin Brancusi
• Title: Mademoiselle
Pogany III
• Date: 1931
• Marble
• This sculpture lacks a
mouth and the brows
merge gracefully into
the nose.

29. Constantin Brancusi
• Title: The Muse
• Media: white marble
• Date: 1912
• What does the word
muse mean?

30. Constantin Brancusi
• Title: Bird in Space
• Date: 1925
• Media: marble,
bronze, and wood

31. 31
Brancusi exhibit in the Philadelphia
Museum of Art
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32. Sketchbook Assignment
• As other students are mixing and pouring
their cups, work on this entry in your
sketchbook
• Draw out 2 idea sketches that
demonstrate the elements and principles
of design.
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33. • Try to focus on abstraction—the shape &
form of your idea can remind you of
concrete objects, but shouldn’t obviously
resemble them.
• Think back to the images of Henry Moore,
Barbara Hepworth, and Brancusi—use
them as inspiration!!
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34. Your 3 idea sketches must include:
• A “negative space” carved through the
sculpture that you can see through.
• Colored with colored pencils to show what
you want your finished sculpture to look
like.
• Front and back views.
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35. • Tomorrow you will finish your drawings;
together we will choose the best one.
• You will create a maquette: a
small, scale model of your sculpture
idea, It is used to visualize and test
shapes and ideas without producing a
final product.
• You will use modeling clay to make your
maquette.
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36. Brainstorming
• You can start out by drawing a simple
object, then simplifying it (removing
detail, using simple shapes and curves).
• Or, you can think about combining simple
shapes and forms: geometric or organic.
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