Informational presentation for beginning sculpture classes. Focuses on three sculptors who use abstraction in their work: Henry Moore, Barbara Hepworth, Constantin Brancusi. Students will use their work as inspiration to create their own abstract sculpture carved from plaster.

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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