Three – Dimensional, Tools, And Processes
Overview
The works of art in the review include the rape of Sabine women created in the period between 1579 and 1583, and the temple of Hera Paestum created by ancient Greeks. This paper seeks to examine some of the tools, materials and processes that the artists use to create their works.
The rape of Sabine women is the sculpture by Giovanni da Bologna. It mainly consists of three shapes of a man lifting a woman in the air while a second man appears to crouch in a manner to suggest that they are in a struggle for the woman. The subject mater refers to the period in which men scrambled for several women. Initially, the artist did not intend for the sculpture to stand out, but as a demonstration to the artist’s skill and aptitude. The sculpture is in three dimensions where the viewer can observe the images form a series of angles. The artists selected marble to create the images, a practice that was extremely familiar at that time for the creation of sculptures. Marble is the best selection of rock for sculptures because it provides a shiny semi-transparent surface that is representative of the human skin (De Vos 23). This transparent aspect provides a certain depth visual wise that makes the sculptures appear almost life like. Marble is also an excellent choice for material, as it does not corrode in that rain, which has acidic properties. Initially, the artist began by copying the model from clay or wax onto the marble, using measurement tools such as calipers or an appropriate tool to get the appropriate measurements. The artist then knocked larger portions of the marble until he reached the appropriate size. Tools used in the process of knocking off include chisels of different sizes and different edges and points. The mallet does all the sculpting work as the artist transfers the energy onto the stone until the artist achieved a general or workable shape. To improve the shape and the lengths of the sculpture, the artist then used a rasp to give the sculpture a good finish. The artist finally polished the images using sandpaper for the, shiny translucent finish (Janson & Anthony 56).
The temple is among the oldest buildings on earth. Understandably, it has undergone many renovations over the years and introduction of modern changes. Romans renamed the temple basilica, and its erection took place from 550 BCE a little while after the formation of the city. Its location is the city of Paestum. Originally, builders used sandstone found in the area. At the time, people that lived in the surrounding did not have a lot of money. They, therefore, did not have sufficient funds to hire professional contractors. All materials originated from the local community as the locals could not afford to transport stone or marble from far away towns. Construction of the wall was mainly by sandstone, but construction of the roof was by wooden rails consequently covered by tiles. The temple was peculiar compared to all other temples as the columns divided the temple into two columns. Columns made out of wood were mounted on bases of stone thereby dividing and giving rise to the extensive columns. Speculation is that the columns were for dividing the temple into two parts, one for the lord Zeus and the other for Hera. Architecture wise, the columns were to support the building from collapse. The builders must have anticipated numerous attacks from other communities that would befall the temple. People often sought refuge for prayers and asylum from war. The altar at the front of the temple was out of limestone. Builders also included baked bricks for the upper fractions of the wall. Chisels and mallets served the purpose of carving out the designs. Creation of smaller bricks was possible through knocking down large portions of bricks by using large size mallets and make shift hammer like objects. The locals were able to adorn the temple with various images and statues of Zeus and Hera seated on the throne. Assumption is that the statues were of local materials, as well. However, the statues were not as fortunate to survive subsequent attacks, and they crumbled because of years of destruction. Other valuable works of art include several chests made form bronze and ivory. These chests were valuable because of the products used to make them (Stamper 47).
The pieces in the review have become significant in studying art for the modern student. The temple of Hera is instrumental in today’s history. Even though, it has undergone many changes, traces of previous material have served a significant purpose of tracing ancient artifacts and roots of architecture. This was transitioning to the regular tempera paint created by mixing a series of bases with egg yolk. The sculptures of the women of Sabine are monumental in shaping the way for other artists in sculpture work that attempt to include a 3-D element to their works.
Works Cited
DeVos, Dirk. The Flemish Primitives: The Masterpieces. England: AMSTERDAM
UNIVERSITY PR (NE, 2003. Print.
Janson, Horst Waldemar, and Anthony, Janson. History of Art: The Western Tradition. Upper
Saddle River, N.J: Prentice-Hall, 2003. Print.
Stamper, John. The Architecture of Roman Temples: The Republic to the
Middle Empire. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press, 2004. Print.
