VOCABULARY SCULPTURE
1st six weeks
UNIT: FOUND OBJECT / METAL
1. Dimension – Amount of space an object takes up in one direction. Length, width, and
depth.
2. Sculpture – Three-dimensional work of art created out of wood, stone, metal or clay by
carving welding, casting, or modeling.
3. Modeling - Using malleable material (clay or wax) to create a 3/D form.
4. Kinetic Sculpture – A sculpture that moves.
5. Synthetic – Made by chemical processes rather than natural processes.
6. Found Materials – Objects found by chance that can be used to create a work of art. Can
be natural or manufactured.
7. Mobile – Moving sculpture in which shapes are balanced and arranged on wire arms then
suspended from the ceiling to move freely in the air currents.
8. Module – A 3-D motif.
9. Modular sculpture – Sculpture made from joined modules.
10. Gauge – The standard measurement used to designate the thickness of wire and metal
sheet. The smaller the number the thicker the wire or metal sheet.
Shapes/Forms:
*Geometric – Shapes or forms that can be defined with a mathematical formula.
*Free Form – Shapes or forms that are irregular and uneven.
*Natural – Shapes or forms made by forces of nature.
*Manufactured – Shapes or forms made by people either by hand or with machines.
ARTIST
Calder, Alexander, American, 1846-1923, sculptor Abstract artist best known for his kinetic
sculptures and mobiles Art Talk 237
VOCABULARY SCULPTURE
2nd six weeks
UNIT: MIXED MEDIA / CLAY
1. Ceramics – Art of making objects with clay to produce pottery and
sculpture.
2. Figure – The human form in a work of art.
3. Clay – Stiff, sticky kind of earth that is used in ceramics. Responsive
earth.
4. Kiln – A pottery oven.
5. Firing – Heating process that makes clay become hard and permanent.
6. Grog – Crushed hard-fired clay that is added to clay to reduce shrinkage
and add strength.
7. Wedging – Kneading to remove air pockets and obtain uniform
consistency.
8. Scoring – Roughing the surface of the clay before joining two pieces
together.
9. Slip – Water and clay mixture which acts like glue.
10. Shrinkage – Contraction of clay during drying and firing.
11. Foot – The base, bottom, rim forming the area that the form rests on.
12. Additive texture – Shapes or forms added to the surface of the sculpture to
create texture.
13. Incised texture – Lines, dots, shapes pressed into the surface of the
sculpture to create texture.
3 main stages of clay projects:
Leather-hard - clay is partially dried out but still workable
Greenware - clay pieces that are completely dry and ready for firing
Bisqueware - clay pieces that have been fired once
ARTIST
Hanson, Duane, American, 1925- , sculptor, painter Modern sculptor who’s
bronze figures painted with oil paints are the perfect example of New Realism
Art Talk 65
VOCABULARY -- SCULPTURE
3rd six weeks
UNIT: CLAY
1. Subject – What is represented in a work of art. (The subject is the part of
the work that the viewer can recognize.)
2. Scale – Size as measured against a standard. Example: Life-size,
oversized, miniature, etc.
3. Bust – A sculpted portrait consisting of the head and part of the shoulders.
4. Glaze – Pottery paint made from special glass and fired.
5. Stain – Pottery paint that is not fired.
6. Caricature – Humorous drawing or sculpture that exaggerates the features
of a person to make fun of him/her.
7. Distortion – Stretching an object or figure out of normal shape to
communicate ideas and feelings.
8. Freestanding – Work of art surrounded by negative space.
9. Hand-building techniques:
a. Pinch - taking a ball of clay, pressing the thumb in the center and
squeezing the clay into specific shapes
b. Hollowing Out - removing the center of the clay formed shape
c. Coil - rope-like strands of clay stacked on top of each other
d. Slab - clay sheets of uniform thickness
10. Clay tools:
a. Fettling Knife - used for trimming and carving
b. Loop Tool - wooden handle with metal ends shaped as loops, forms
perfectly shaped clay lengths when drawn through a slab of clay
c. Boxwood Modelers - used for shaping, cutting and smoothing soft clay
d. Probe - long metal pin used to puncture through clay to help eliminate
air pockets
11. Relief – Work of art in which forms project from a flat surface into negative
space.
a. High-relief – Forms project far out from the flat surface.
b. Bas-relief – Forms project slightly from the flat surface. (low-relief)
ARTIST
Michelangelo, Italian, 1475-1564, sculptor, painter Renaissance artist whose
first love was sculpture, but is famous for his frescos on the ceiling of the Sistine
Chapel Art Talk 309 & 52
VOCABULARY SCULPTURE
4th six weeks
UNIT: Wood/Stone
1. Assemblage – Three-dimensional work of art consisting of many pieces
assembled together.
2. Architecture – Art form of designing and planning construction of buildings,
cities, and bridges.
3. Light pattern – The light and dark shapes that appear on the form as a result of
its own cast shadows.
4. Grain – The colored pattern and texture in wood that shows the growth of the
tree.
5. Whetstone – An abrasive stone for sharpening cutting tools.
6. Chisel – A tool used in sculpture for paring, hewing, or gouging.
7. File – A tool used for smoothing the surface of wood or stone.
8. Rasp – File with sharp, rough teeth used for cutting into a surface.
9. File card – Brush with soft wire bristles, used to clean rasps and files.
10. Hardwood / Softwood – Name given to the different kinds of wood, describing
the strength or it’s hardness or softness to work with.
11. Balsa – A light porous wood, from Peru, used in crafts.
12. Crosscut – Cutting wood across the grain.
13. Crafts – Works of art that are both beautiful and useful. Weaving, ceramics,
jewelry, etc.
14. Craftsmanship – Aptitude, skill, and manual dexterity in the use of tools and
materials.
ARTIST
Nevelson, Louise, American, 1899-1988, sculptor Created assemblage
sculpture from discarded wood scraps, later used metals and Lucite for outdoor
pieces Art Talk 36,329
VOCABULARY SCULPTURE
5th six weeks
UNIT: STONE
1. Light pattern – The light and dark shapes that appear on the form as a result of its own
cast shadows.
2. Chisel – A tool used in sculpture for paring, hewing, or gouging.
3. File – A tool used for smoothing the surface of wood or stone.
4. Rasp – File with sharp, rough teeth used for cutting into a surface.
5. Symbol – Is the visual image that stands for or represents something else.
6. Carving – Shaping wood, stone, or marble by cutting and chipping.
7. Abrasive – A cutting substance used with a polishing or rubbing action to produce a
variety of surface qualities.
8. Buff – To smooth by polishing with a cloth or powered wheel.
9. Luster – The gloss or sheen of a surface.
10. Shiny finish – Finish were the surface reflects bright light.
11. Matte finish – Finish were the surface reflects soft, dull light.
12. Porous – Full of small openings or pores.
13. Concave – Hollow and curved like the inside half of a hollow ball.
14. Convex – Curved outward, as the outside surface of a ball.
15. Void – The penetration of an object to its other side, thus allowing for the passage of
space through it.
16. Patina – Colored pigments, usually earthy, applied to a sculptural surface.
17. Mass – The physical bulk of a solid body of material.
18. Abstract art – Art containing shapes that simplify shapes of real objects to emphasize
form instead of subject matter.
ARTIST
Moore, Henry, English, 1898-1986, sculptor Innovative sculptor of the 20th century, known for
his large rounded figures and abstract forms within a form Art Talk 20,142
VOCABULARY SCULPTURE
6th six weeks
UNIT: PLASTER / PAPIER MACHE / FOUND OBJECTS
Assemblage – Three-dimensional work of art consisting of many pieces assembled together.
Undercut – A cut made below another so that an overhang is left.
Plaster – Mixture of lime, sand, and water that hardens on drying.
Papier-mâché – French for “mashed paper.” Modeling material made from paper and liquid paste
and molded over a supporting structure called the armature.
Armature - Rigid framework used to support a sculpture while it is being built, a skeleton.
Cast – Shaped by pouring liquid material into a mold and letting it harden before removing.
Mosaics – Pictures made with small cubes of colored marble, glass, or tile and set into cement.
Fiber – Thin threadlike materials that can be woven or spun into yarn or thread, then used to
make fabric.
Yarn – Fibers spun into strands for weaving, knitting or crocheting.
Loom – Machine or frame for weaving.
Weaving – Making fabric by interlacing two sets of parallel threads.
Warps are the threads held in place on a loom running lengthwise.
Wefts are the threads which run crosswise going over and under the warps.
Soft Sculpture – Sculpture made with fabric and stuffed with soft material.
ARTIST
Rodin, Auguste, French, 1840-1917, sculptor Impressionist sculptor best known for his figures
in action or feelings of spontaneity and tension. Best-known work is the Thinker.
Review of Elements and Principles
ELEMENTS OF ART
Line - A mark drawn with a pointed moving tool
5 types: vertical, horizontal, diagonal, curved, and zig-zag
5 ways to vary: length, width, texture, direction, and degree of curve
Space - The area between, around, above, below or within objects
2 types: negative and positive
Color - Light waves that are reflected off of objects to your eyes
Value - The lightness or darkness of anything
Texture - How things feel of how they look like they might feel
2 types: tactile/actual and visual/implied
Shape - 2/D, height and width
2 types: geometric- circle, square, triangle, rectangle and free-form/organic
Form - 3/D, height, width, and depth
2 types: geometric- sphere, cube, cone, cylinder and free-form/organic
PRINCIPLES OF DESIGN
Unity - Invisible glue, a sense of oneness or wholeness
5 ways to create it: harmony, proximity, repetition, simplicity, continuation
Variety - Differences used to create interest
Emphasis - One part of a work dominant over the other parts, focal point
5 ways to create it: contrast, location, convergence, isolation, the unusual
Movement - The illusion of action, the way the viewer’s eye travels through the art
Rhythm - Repeated positive shapes separated by negative spaces Motif - shape being repeated
5 types: random, regular, alternating, flowing, progressive
Proportion - Size relationship of one part to another
2 types: realistic and exaggerated or distorted
Balance - Equalizing visual forces or elements in a work of art
3 types: symmetrical/formal, asymmetrical/informal and radial
4 Steps of Art Criticism: 1. Description -dimension 2. Analysis 3. Interpretation 4. Judgment
4 Types of Aesthetic Judgment: 1. Emotionalism 2. Imitationalism 3. Formalism 4. Functional Art