Title: Need to Feel
Size: 46 cm X 35 cm Medium: Plaster & Clay Sculpture Completed October 2023 - Exhibition Text -Need to Feel is a lightweight clay and plaster sculpture meant to reflect the human experience. When thinking about what it means to be human a key aspect of that for me is touch. Unlike experiences within life touch is something universal and has been experienced/needed by many, I wanted to highlight it's importance & precious nature with classical inspirations from Michelangelo and Rodin, creating an eclectic and polished piece.
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- Inspiration -
The Creation of Adam by Michelangelo, 1508-1512
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The Creation of Adam is one of the more iconic Renaissance paintings, being parodied even in the modern art scene now. The painting itself has heavy religious undertones, the scene itself showing god giving life to Adam. In the work Adam is a subject grounded on earth while god is up in the sky with a congregation of angels. The most iconic part of the piece is both Adam's and gods hands almost touching, both reaching towards each other but never connecting.
When looking at this work the composition is a key thing that I wanted to emulate in my own piece. While the painting itself shows a scene from the bible the emphasis on how out of reach god is from Adam was something I found important. |
The lack of touch coming from Adam and god in some way shows the importance of it. Similarly the little specs of flowing color within the natural background and billowing red and green scarves shows an ethereal perspective of the piece as well.
The Kiss by Rodin, 1882
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The Kiss by Rodin is a classical marble statue showing lovers in a romantic embrace. There are two subjects within this sculpture, their base being made up of the same textured initial marble from the final sculpt. Both of the figures are naked, furthering this romantic barren feeling. Depending on where the audience looks the couples posing obstructs the act of their love (the kiss). This creates a deeper connection within the piece while showing how tightly wound and tightly in love the couple is. The act of naming the sculpture and the act of what the couple is doing instead of who they are furthers the emphasis on their touch, this is something I found important within my own sculpture are well. I wanted my sculpture to replicate the smooth/human texture as well because I wanted my piece to be seen as a universal source of my concept, touch. Having a smooth base for my sculpture would emphasize this because having a more rounder subject would make my sculpture appear more welcoming.
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- Planning -
Due to the desired message of my sculpture I wanted to create a universal pose to show the comfort of touch. Initially I planned on doing so with a hug/embrace similar to The Kiss however since I wanted the touch to appear more platonic I decided on replicating a hand cupping someone's face. This pose is normally done when someone is in need of comfort, I wanted my sculpture to be seen as a source of that comfort. In order to get a better understanding of this I first utilized a 3-D model to clearly define each perspective of the hand/arm. This would be important later on since I would need to map out my sculptures structure.
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After doing this I also took a photo of my own hand in order to see a more grounded/easy to measure proportion. I then drew what the hand looked like as well as what a hand cupping a face looks like. While touch can be romantic or platonic I wanted the touch to have no perceived emotion, instead being a fixed point/concept. I also briefly drew up some sketched of the overall armature of the sculpture for later, that way I would know how to go about certain parts of construction.
This rough planning would later allow me to map out what I wanted to do for the actual sculpture. Since I had also wanted my piece to be more 'ethereal' like The Creation of Adam I also decided I wanted to create a more spacial background. Doing so would allow my piece to appear more universal/graphic, instead of simply having a plain background with no detailing. |
- Process & Experimentation -
Since I had wanted my sculpture to look somewhat eclectic while still retaining the sleek appearance akin to The Kiss I decided to create different detail filled components to the sculpture. I first created a set of nails that have a somewhat astrological tone while retaining pops of color similar to the waves of color seen in The Creation of Adam. These nails would also later act as a way to determine size for the overall hand of the sculpture.
When creating the base I first cut a plastic cup similar to the circumference of my elbow/forearm. This would allow the cup to be at a slant, acting like the overall structure was coming out of the illustration board. After attaching the cup I added two paper tubes to act as the rest of the arm. I wanted to ensure that my sculpture could be as lightweight as possible, unlike The Kiss with its overall heavy marble exterior. In order to make sure this initial base would be secure I also added plaster strips around the bottom to reinforce its attachment to the illustration board. |
When considering how I would create the actual hand for the sculpture I had some experimental ideas that I was unsure how to approach. I first attempted to create a plaster cast of my hand utilizing the plaster strips I used for the base. It was easy for me to form the strips around my hand, however once the cast dried and I began to remove it the cast began to fall apart. This meant that once the cast was fully removed from my hand it was not able to fully support its own structure. In order to attempt to combat this I attempted to create another cast but this time out of paper-mache. My thought process during this experimentation was that since paper-mache is lighter it would have been easier to remove it from my hand and rebuild it. However similar to the plaster once dry the cast would immediately fall apart. While this line of experiment failed it allowed me to physically see my thought process with the sculpture and later come to a better solution.
After my experimentation I instead created a wire armature of a hand, emulating the pose of a person cupping someones face. This armature allowed me to pose the hand prior to wrapping lightweight clay around the whole structure. Like Rodin I wanted my sculpture to have a smooth base, so in order to achieve this I watered down some foam clay and then used it to smooth out any imperfections within the hand as well as the texture from the plaster.
Once the clay had dried I painted the entire structure gold in order to emphasize the precious nature of touch within my piece. Similar to The Creation of Adam I had also added extra components of color by utilizing ruffles of ribbon. This created a more refined and delicate look for my piece while bringing in more color as well. Adding similar golden detailing across the forearm was also important since I wanted my sculpture to appear lavish and eclectic. Finally in order to make the background look less plain I added stars for an astrological theme. A key aspect of my sculpture was to transport the viewer into the piece, I also did this directly by placing a mirror in eyesight of the viewer. |
*A closeup on the sculpture detailing
- Critique -
Similarities:
-Each inspiration has an emphasis on touch or embrace. Whether the touch is direct with The Kiss or indirect with The Creation of Adam touch is emphasized/plays a key aspect within the works. I find with sculpture it is easier to convey the importance of something or highlight an action, this is why an indirect emphasis on touch can also be seen within my piece.
-Like The Creation of Adam the use of color that is present within the piece is meant to bring emphasis onto certain details. While my whole piece is full of color, there are accents of more muted colors. These can be specifically seen within the attachment point of the arm, and surrounding the mirror meant to reflect the viewer. Since the color present (rose) is one of the only more muted colors seen within the sculpture the viewers eye is drawn towards it, this is similar to the billowing pinks used within The Creation of Adam.
-Like The Creation of Adam the use of color that is present within the piece is meant to bring emphasis onto certain details. While my whole piece is full of color, there are accents of more muted colors. These can be specifically seen within the attachment point of the arm, and surrounding the mirror meant to reflect the viewer. Since the color present (rose) is one of the only more muted colors seen within the sculpture the viewers eye is drawn towards it, this is similar to the billowing pinks used within The Creation of Adam.
Differences:
-In terms of technique my sculpture is very different to Rodin. While Rodin carved his sculpture out of a block of marble, I built my work up instead. This difference in technicality creates a difference in both shape and weight. My sculpture maintains a lightweight appearance whereas Rodin's both looks and is very heavy within its structure.
-Both inspirations are very bare when it comes to its color, The Creation of Adam only having few muted/washed out colors that act as accents. While the colors within my sculpture are not fully saturated, they still encompass the overall piece. This creates a more dark finish for my sculpture, unlike the lighter presence of both inspirations.
-While The Kiss does not contain a fixed background, since it is a sculpture and can be viewed from multiple angles (the only fixed point being where it connects to the block of marble) my sculpture is more contained. There is a clear attachment point within my piece, and with this it is more difficult for the viewer to approach my piece from any other angle. As a result my piece feels more contained & definitive.
-In terms of technique my sculpture is very different to Rodin. While Rodin carved his sculpture out of a block of marble, I built my work up instead. This difference in technicality creates a difference in both shape and weight. My sculpture maintains a lightweight appearance whereas Rodin's both looks and is very heavy within its structure.
-Both inspirations are very bare when it comes to its color, The Creation of Adam only having few muted/washed out colors that act as accents. While the colors within my sculpture are not fully saturated, they still encompass the overall piece. This creates a more dark finish for my sculpture, unlike the lighter presence of both inspirations.
-While The Kiss does not contain a fixed background, since it is a sculpture and can be viewed from multiple angles (the only fixed point being where it connects to the block of marble) my sculpture is more contained. There is a clear attachment point within my piece, and with this it is more difficult for the viewer to approach my piece from any other angle. As a result my piece feels more contained & definitive.
- Reflection -
Sculpting as a medium is something I enjoy doing heavily. Being able to take classical inspirations and interpret certain aspects of their works into a three dimensional space is something that motivates me heavily. I think I was able to properly emphasize the universal aspect of my sculpture, utilizing a mirror as a way to directly place the audience in the direction of a source of touch. While this piece's experimentation did not work out, I think it was able to build my skills when it comes to sculpting. I learned more about how plaster can function in certain environments as well as how to create a well structured armature for certain aspects within a piece.
- Connections to the ACT -
1) Clearly explain how you were able to identify the cause effect relationship between your inspiration and its effect on your art
Since I had wanted to emphasize touch within my work finding works that also place emphasis on this was important as well. I wanted to find pieces that would allow me to build up an image that would create an eclectic refined sculpture.
2) What is the overall approach the author has regarding the topic of your inspiration
There are similarities within The Kiss and my sculpture, however the way form is approached is different. While Rodin's structures appear concrete, mine have a overall softer appearance.
3) What kind of generalizations and conclusions have you discovered about people, ideas, cultures etc. while you researched your inspiration?
The importance of touch, both romantic and platonic within humanity and how in some cases a lack of touch can further emphasize its importance.
4) What was the central idea or theme around your inspirational research?
When looking for inspiration I had wanted to find a piece in a 3-D medium, this would allow me to better understand form when it came to my own sculpture. Additionally finding a more traditional piece as well allowed me to see how I would be able to convert certain 2-D aspects into a three dimensional object.
5) What kinds of inferences did you make while reading your research?
How a concept can be universal, how an artist can approach a piece and make it applicable to most or all of the audience. Each of my inspirations are meant to give the viewer an emotion, The Creation emulating religious faith, and The Kiss representing the abundance of (romantic) love. During my research it better allowed me to see how I can make my own desired emotions/concept applicable.
- Citations -
“Creation of Adam.” M.museivaticani.va, m.museivaticani.va/content/museivaticani-mobile/en/collezioni/musei/cappella-sistina/volta/storie-centrali/creazione-di-adamo.html.
“PoseMy.Art.” PoseMy.Art, posemy.art/.
Tate. ““The Kiss”, Auguste Rodin, 1901-4.” Tate, www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/rodin-the-kiss-n06228.
“PoseMy.Art.” PoseMy.Art, posemy.art/.
Tate. ““The Kiss”, Auguste Rodin, 1901-4.” Tate, www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/rodin-the-kiss-n06228.