Sculpture Three
Junk Sculpture/ Assemblage
Exemplar Artists:
Robert Rauschenberg
Jasper Johns
Joseph Cornell
Michelle Stitzlein
Assemblage is an untraditional sculpture usually with an attitude that makes it
contemporary. An assemblage sculpture is the bringing together of matters
(assembling) rather than the making (creating) of the work.
Take objects intended to be discarded and use them in a meaningful way to
assemble in a 3D sculpture.
Supplies::
Canvas (this can be the background for the junk sculpture)
Found objects: think hardware, old tools, recyclable materials, everyday
objects, mechanical parts, old household objects, junk, wood, metal scraps,
old books, old artwork
Hot glue guns, (E6000 glue) ,Epoxy, nails
Paint
Old paper, cloth, paper collage (incorporate 2D elements into the sculpture)
Concepts::
• Use of assemblage and found objects as a sculptural medium
• Manipulation of different materials and adhesives in a safe and effective manner
• Explore the use of symbolism through found objects
• Understanding form as a design element
• Understanding of the creative process in relation to the chosen theme
Background::
Assemblages and junk sculpture
Many sculptors have produced both abstract and representational works by means of assemblage,
employing junk and found objects; frequently, a total environment has been created, large enough
to allow the spectator to move within the work. Junk, first used by the Dadaists early in the 20th
century, became the basis of expressive sculptures by such artists as Richard Stankiewicz during
the 1960s. In this decade pop art also became prominent, initiated in the U.S. by such artists as
Robert Rauschenberg, Jasper Johns, George Segal, Marisol Escobar, Red Grooms, Claes Oldenburg,
Edward Kienholz, and Lucas Samaras. Later Duane Hanson began working in this vein.
Rauschenberg introduced what he called “combine paintings,” later examples of which have the
three-dimensionality of sculpture. In these, junk and found objects are incorporated onto the
canvas surface. A compelling example of such work is Monogram (1955-1959, Moderna Museet,
Stockholm), a construction combining a stuffed Angora goat, an automobile tire, a tennis ball, and
hinged wooden doors covered with abstract expressionist brushwork. Johns, a disciple of Duchamp,
did a bronze cast of beer cans, Painted Bronze (1960, private collection), posing the aesthetic
problem of transposing mundane objects to the realm of art. Frequently using his friends as
models, Segal builds white plaster figures engaged in commonplace activities. A quiet classicism
characterizes such evocative sculptures as The Diner (1964-1966, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis,
Minnesota). Marisol (as she is known) makes assemblages with wood, paint, and other materials
such as pairs of shoes. Grooms builds huge environmental constructions, such as the delightful
Ruckus Manhattan (1975-1976, Marlborough Gallery, New York City). Oldenburg, turning his
talents to replicating food in painted plaster, creates humorous pop objects such as Dual
Hamburger (1962, Museum of Modern Art). Oldenburg has often translated his earlier, rigid
sculptures of objects such as light switches into soft vinyl copies.
Kienholz's mixed-media compositions, such as The State Hospital (1964-1966, Moderna Museet)
with its representation of bedridden patients, graphically call attention to ugly aspects of
contemporary society. Samaras too has constructed disturbing—but visually compelling—works,
such as The Chair (1965, Smart Gallery, University of Chicago), menacingly covered with thousands
of pin points. Hanson's fiberglass and polyester figures are uncannily lifelike; he has moved from
essentially satirical portrayals of obese shoppers and tourists to more straightforward renderings of
workers and other ordinary Americans.