History
by Gail Lang

People have been creating sculpture for as long as humans have been around. Its part of our everyday lives. Materials such as bronze, marble, wood, and clay are used to shape likenesses of objects, people or events. Over the centuries sculptures have changed the way their art looks while still maintaining some of the earliest techniques used.

The Greek civilization, established before 800 BC, has left behind many wondrous sculptures helping us to learn of their times and lifestyles. Much of this Greek sculpture dealt with the naked body. Nakedness was not unusual for the Greeks. In their olympic games the athletes wore no clothing so that their performances were not restricted. Their statues were usually carved "in the round", meaning they were not attached to anything else but are free-standing and carved on all sides. Eventually the Greek statues changed and they began to depict people in more natural looking stances, later expressing deep emotion as well.

Forms of sculptures were also used to tell stories. A Relief is a block of stone that was only cut on one side. "Trojan's Column" in Rome (114AD) is almost 100 feet tall with a continual spiral of reliefs telling a story beginning from the base and spiraling up around the column.

As the Barbarians advanced across Europe the Roman Empire gradually began to lose its power. The Celts were some of the more recognized of these Barbarians. They were often referred to as people of the "Iron Age" (500AD) The Celts were eventually killed off and driven back to France, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. Their form of sculpture was incredibly unique compared to that of the Roman Empire thay had embattled. They drew their inspirations from nature and put these creations into metal that adorned their bodies, boats, homes and were present in their everyday lives. There were also numerous metal sculptures representing their gods. Much of the Celtic art from this time period were made of metals like bronze or silver.

From this point Christianity began to spread from Ireland to the British Isles. Monasteries, huge crosses and other shapes still stand tall today with their religious symbols carved into stone. This religious use of sculpture continued through the middle ages. Hundreds of churches were constructed throughout Europe which encompassed magnificant works of architecture, masonry and sculpture.

The renaissance brought even more growth and embellishment to sculpture. The Italians studied the early sculpture of the Romans and then built on what they learned to produce images that were more realistic and true to life. People became so enraptured with the art of sculpture that great competitions were announced and artists eagerly set about creating their masterpieces to be shown.

Donatello (1385-1466) was a great master that was born of this era. He broke from the art form of his teacher expressing in his work his interests in the laws of perspective. Perspecitve is the name given to the drawing technique that allows an artist to show the way an object recedes into the distance in painting, drawing and relief sculptures. Donatello's nearly flat reliefs could fool the imagination into seeing depth where there is none.

Michalangelo (1475-1564) would be another great sculpture to note from history. He was also a great artist and architect. The turning point in his life as a sculpture came with the creation of his "David", the collassal statue erected in the center of Florence. Michelangelo was the finest example of a man completely dedicated to his art. He put his body and soul into every work of art that came from his hands. Most of Michelangelo's statues are of bold, muscular bodies that seem to move in a way that is full of power. His work was so impressive that sculpturers imitated and drew from his work well into the 17th century.

More interest grew for the art profession in the 17th century and numerous art schools began to flourish across Europe. Sculpture was to be forever a strong part of our lives. Sculpture has continued to change and the artist's find continually new direction and inspiration over the years. One thing holds true, whether old or new, walking through hallways of great sculptures is a soul inspiring experience.