3D Materials and Concepts: March 2021

Sunday, March 28, 2021

Figurative Sculpture History

Bust of Nefertiti

Limestone and stucco

19 inches tall

1345 BC, Ancient Egypt

1912, Discovered

Location - Egyptian Museum, Berlin

http://www.egyptian-museum-berlin.com/c53.php

Was queen of the 18th Dynasty of Ancient Egypt.

Contributed to transforming the Egyptian religious landscape.

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Nefertiti

Name translation - Beautiful Woman has Come

Art History Minute: Bust of Nefertiti

Bust Of A Man

Artist - Francis Harwood, English, 1726/27 - 1783

Sculpture dates 1758, Black Stone

27 1/2" x 19 3/4" x 10 1/2"

With noble bearing, this man proudly holds his chin high above his powerful chest.

Sculptor Francis Harwood chose a black stone to reproduce the sitter's skin tone. Harwood also chose an unusual antique format for the bust, terminating it in a wide arc below the man's pectoral muscles.

Harwood was familiar with antique sculptures from time spent in Florence reproducing and copying them. He may have deliberately used this elegant, rounded termination, which includes the entire, unclothed chest and shoulders, to evoke associations with ancient busts of notable men.

Although the identity of the sitter is unknown, the scar on his face suggests that this is a portrait of a specific individual. This work may be one of the earliest sculpted portraits of a Black individual by a European.

https://www.getty.edu/art/collection/objects/1199/francis-harwood-bust-of-a-man-english-1758/?dz=#6a17033fe57e02f913b34bbcd2d5a07ca6646cfc

Lady of Elche

Limestone

1897, Discovered

Location - National Archaeological Museum, Madrid, Spain

Bust of Augustus

Marble, c. 25 BC

32" tall

Ceasar Augustus was the first Roman Emperor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jmMWohs1XM&t=15s

Why Ancient Marble Statues Aren't Meant To Be Seen As "White"

Edmonia Lewis, African American and Native American, b. 1844, d. 1907

Take note of Lewis uses the gaze and head tilt to visually communicate identities for the sculptures.

Between 1866 and 1872, Edmonia Lewis completed a series of marble sculptures on the popular theme of Hiawatha and Minnehaha, drawn from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s epic poem The Song of Hiawatha (1855). This cabinet-sized bust and its pendant (2015.287.1) represent the star-crossed lovers from once-warring nations (Anishinaabe and Dakota), and blend an idealized treatment of form with Native American dress and accessories. - Metropolitan Museum of Art, source link below.

Minnehaha

Marble

1868

11 5/8" x 7 1/4" x 4 7/8"

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, USA

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/687677?searchField=All&sortBy=Relevance&ft=Edmonia+Lewis&offset=0&rpp=20&pos=1

Hiawatha

Marble

1868

13 3/4" x 7 3/4" x 5 1/2 "

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC, USA

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/687670

The Song of Hiawatha

Link below to read poem.

https://www.hwlongfellow.org/poems_poem.php?pid=283

Edmonia Lewis

Sunday, March 21, 2021

Katie Lederer, Student Work, Natural History of the Senses Assignment

Man Eater

Digital Collage

"The idea of cannibalism is so far from our ordinary lives that we can

safely use the euphemism eat in a sexual context, say, and no one

will think we mean literally consume"

A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman, p. 136

Statement:

I think it is comical to have a woman eating a man. The original photo of a woman eating was taken by Alfred Eisenstaedt and appears in a 1950's article on how to "eat spaghetti like a lady". I hope she is eating this man as ladylike as possible.

Dinner Party

Video

"Humans rarely choose to dine in solitude."

A Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman, p. 128

Statment:

The video documents me making an elaborate meal. In real time, the meal took over two hours to prepare. In the end, I'm the only one at the table. More often than not, I will eat alone. I find creating a fancier-than-necessary meal for myself is meditative process. When I cook alone I do it as an act of love to myself, especially after a rough day.

Carrington Boyd, Student Work, Natural History of the Senses Assignment

Texture Quilt

Plastic, cotton fabric, paper, gauze, grip tape, cardboard, human hair,

foil wrappers, facemask, wax coated paper, and thread

11"x 9"

"After all, our palette of feelings through touch is more elaborate than just hot, cold, pain, and pressure. Many touch receptors combine to produce what we call a twinge. Consider all the varieties of pain, irritation, abrasion; all the textures of lick, pat, wipe, fondle, knead; all the prickling, bruising, tingling, brushing, scratching, banging, fumbling, kissing, nudging."

-Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman, page 80

Statement:

This piece was inspired by the complexity that surrounds the sense of touch. While temperature and pressure levels influence our reception of certain objects that we interact with, there are much more subtle details we pick up on, as Ackerman explains. I wanted to create a piece which puts the level of sensitivity that the sense of touch possesses on display. The piece features several different scraps of items including wad of hair taken from a hair brush, a piece of fabric from a cropped t-shirt, and the inside layer of a piece of cardboard. Additional items stitched together include a pop-tart wrapper and the seal from a container of cashews, both of which are foil, though have drastically different textures due to their sturdiness, a detail which is not necessarily detectable by sight, or any other sense aside from touch.

Foiled

Digital Collage

15"x 8"

"Language is steeped in metaphors of touch...In fencing, saying touché means that you have been touched by the foil and are conceding to your opponent, although, of course, we also say it when we think we have been foiled because someone's argumentative point is well made."

-Natural History of the Senses, Diane Ackerman, pp. 70-71

Statement:

Linguistics and the origin of words is an interesting concept to me and I wanted to pair the meaning of the word touché with the origin of the word "touch". The black and white simulated texture of crinkled foil speaks evokes memory of touch while creating a high contrast image.

Judith Darliska Hubbard, Student Work, Natural History of the Senses Assignment

The Decay of the Living

Pen and ink on paper

11" x 14"

From the book A Natural History of the Senses by Diane Ackerman:

“In University of Illinois primate experiments, researchers found that a lack of touch produced brain damage.” (p. 76)

“Some children who live in emotionally destructive homes just stop growing.” (p. 75).

“And people who aren't touched much as children don't touch much as adults, so the cycle continues” (p. 73).

Statement:

I wanted the viewer to immediately feel repulsed at the sight of this drawing. What happens to someone when they are never touched? Some become stunted in growth, others have mental disorders, and some may even wither to death. The image represents a young woman who had potential, but was never held. Someone who was never touched when a baby, that person would grow up to a problem child, and a cycle continues. A cycle like the one behind the figure’s head. However, the circle is not complete. There is always a hope that society can change for the better. And perhaps this change can come from love at an early age.

Josh Fuentes, Student Work, Natural History of the Senses Assignment

Phantoms of a Painful Past

Digital Artwork

“In the classic phenomenon of phantom limb pain, the brain gets faulty signals and continues to feel pain in a limb that has been amputated...”

-Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses, p. 104

Statement:

The image explores a range of emotions related to amputation. The facial expression and grasping of the wrist communicate pain, a sense of begrudging familiarity and sadness. The dramatic lighting, portrayed with bright yellow and jagged marks, enhance the feeling of pain.

Sierra Burton, Student Work, Natural History of the Senses Assignment

Frozen Fibers

Frozen Yarn and Hair in an 8-ounce Glass

“Even though we can’t puff up our fur the way other animals do, either to look big and mean or to keep warm, we have tiny leftover erector pili muscles that cause some of our hairs to stand up when we’re cold or scared.” Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of the Senses, page 93.

Statement: The idea behind this piece was to show the human delicacy that can come with fear. From afar, the hair seems to be soft and suspended in water. However, to the touch, the fibers are cold and frozen, formed into spikes.

Michaela Rataiczak, Student Work, Natural History of the Senses

The Body is a Cage

Ink and Human Hair on Paper

8" x 8"

Alyssa Tibero, Student Work, A Natural History of The Senses Assignment

Touched

Digital Poster

"Language is steeped in metaphors of touch. We call our emotions feelings, and we care most deeply when something "touches" us."

-Diane Ackerman, A Natural History of The Senses, Page 70

Statement:

We are touched by things on a day to day basis. Whether it be being complimented on fashion and beauty, being rewarded for a job well done, or being ridiculed by society based on societal norms, spoken language plays a big role in "touching" people all over the world. Words have a lot of meaning behind them. They can cause happiness, grief, and depression. I represented the negative spoken language that is often heard in society today through graphic art. In my graphic design, I showed how negative words and phrases can affect a human being. Often times, negative language "touches" people with negative feelings, such as sadness or anger. Therefore, the emphasis on spreading "love" and not "hate" is what I believe the new societal norm should be.