This past week has just been hours and hours of carving. The face is complete and so are the ears. I'm carving the back of the head and shoulder-region of the bust now. It's a tedious and time-consuming process but I've gotten the hang of it and know how to work now. My concern now is the thickness of the clay throughout the piece. I accidentally carved to the armature along the collar of the bust and put the clay back, but it has me wondering how thick the clay is throughout the lower half. I'm worried it won't support the weight of the rest of the bust, especially the heavy head. Once I finish carving I'll remove it from the armature.
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Constantin Brancusi's work often consists of abstract representations of figures. My piece has become more realistic than originally intended, but the value and emphasis on aesthetic form remains the same. His busts are clearly busts, but a more fluid, pared down representation. His attention to the medium itself and emphasis on craftsmanship is evident in the smooth surfaces and finish of his sculptures. I hope to achieve the same although metal isn't an available medium, I'd like to create the illusion of metal to contrast with the soft, natural forms of the mushrooms. Background
https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/constantin-brancusi https://www.theartstory.org/artist-brancusi-constantin.htm Resources for Questions The Philadelphia Museum of Art's entry for Sculpture of the Blind Use this to answer Question 1 after completing the first part of the question. The Museum of Modern Art Information on Brancusi's process and choice of media A video on Brancusi's life, process, and his sculpture, The Kiss Questions
1. Look at Sculpture for the Blind, just the image. Describe it objectively, considering the title and how it may affect how you perceive it. Now, read the "Additional Information" under the entry in the Philadelphia Museum of Art link. How does this fabled display affect the piece's intent, how it's perceived? How is how you're experiencing it different? 2. Brancusi is stated as having said, "The artist should know how to dig out the being that is within matter." How does he embody this in his own process? 3. How did Brancusi break the standards of art in the 19th century, especially when compared to a contemporary such as Rodin? I shaped the head more in adding clay to the cheekbones and brow-bone and added ears which were really helpful in shaping the jawline and chin. I'm beginning to add more specific features and carving out the geometric appearance of features like the lips and ears. Everything still looks strange because I've purposely added too much clay in areas so I have enough to carve off from, but hopefully that will resolve. From here I only need to add the eyes and carve. I don't think it'll be difficult to remove the clay from the armature but my main concern is time.
I finished the armature. Most of the work was rounding out the head and taping down sharp corners of newspaper. I then covered it with a plastic wrap so I could begin applying the clay. So far I've covered the base with a thin layer of clay. I think my process will be to first apply a thick layer of clay on the entire armature, and then carve away to make the sharp, smooth surfaces.
The bust or "pot" part of the sculpture is going to be made of clay, so I started building an armature. At the end of the week it's the right size but the shape of the head is off. I'll continue building the armature. Meanwhile, I've been researching how to grow mushrooms, how long it takes, and how much material I'd need. I'm comfortable with my final idea so it's just a matter of working on it now.
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