1. For each video, discuss/list the key concepts that you learned.
Video: Through the Eyes of a Sculptor
This video followed French sculptor Emmanuel Fillion, who grew up in a village in France that is surrounded by a limestone quarry. At the age of 15 he received a scholarship to study carving and eventually worked as a restoration artist for buildings. Restoring the figure sculptures at Notre Dame Cathedral inspired him to make the move from skilled craftsman to fine artist. The video explains that a restorer has specific geometric shapes or plans to follow, a sculptor uses 'feelings'. As a sculptor, Fillion understands that there are many things to be taken into consideration; for instance where will the sculpture be? Outside or inside? I learned that there are many steps to be taken before a sculpture is complete. First the artist visualizes the work, then he (or she) draws it, then it is sculpted in clay and cast in plaster, and finally, the perfect piece of marble is selected, in Fillion's case from the marble quarry in Pietrasanta, Italy. The last step of course is the finished marble sculpture, and there is no room for error. Fillion is the head of a highly specialized team of "artigiano" craftsmen, it is akin to an orchestra and he is the conductor, leading the group until the completion of a project. My third cousin and his family lived in Torino, Italy for a year. He took a two-week marble sculpting workshop in Carrara. Below is the sculpture he created.
Marble Buffalo
Video: Glass and Ceramics
Glass is a versatile medium that can used to create functional objects as well as artistic objects; some glass pieces are both beautiful and functional. Made from sand that is heated to temperatures up to 1500° C., glass is a viscous liquid that hardens when cooled. Traditionally, glass is made from a silicate + flux, which helps with fusion (the flux can be soda, potash, limestone or oyster shells) and then heat is added to create a malleable substance that can be shaped at will. A glass artist often uses a long hollow rod, dips it into the viscous glass, then blows into the rod while turning it at the same time. They would then use wet newspaper or a 'marver' to shape it. I once visited the Corning Glass Museum and was able to blow my own glass ornament. One of the glass artists helped by rotating the rod while I blew air into it, and then they clipped it off the rod and created a glass loop so I could hang it up. It was an amazing experience, and it was not easy to do!
While the art of glass making is ancient, first came ceramics. But unlike clay, which is what ceramics are made from, glass never changes chemically. Clay, which comes from the earth, is the raw material used in ceramics. The sculptor or craftsman shapes the clay with their hands or using a potters wheel. The work created needs to air-dry before it is put into a kiln (which reaches high temperatures). The heating of the dried clay changes it's chemical structure; once it has been fired in the kiln it can no longer be changed back to soft clay. The raw materials, used as well as the temperature used, is what determines the quality of ceramics; the higher the temperature, the finer the finished china.
2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos were both informative. I preferred Through the Eyes of the Sculptor, which took me on a fascinating visual journey of the career of sculptor Emmanuel Fillion. It showed the process, from the beginning when he picked the perfect slab of marble at the quarry, to the finished figure in it's final home in the purchaser's landscaping. Chapters 11 and 12 gave so many examples of different sculpting techniques and mediums, such as wood, marble, ivory, stone, metal, fabric and light. Artists of today can turn almost anything into a sculpture. One thing I've noticed about this book, in general, is that the examples depicted are not exclusively from a Western point of view. There are many examples of Asian, African, Middle Eastern and South American art. Most cultures borrow ideas and techniques from one another, so it's important to see what the entire world has created or is creating, not just what Western Europe is creating. Both videos bring the text we read to life, but give us only a part of the picture. The book explains in depth the variety of techniques that artists have to work from, and offer so many beautiful examples.
3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to the understanding of the topics: Sculpture, Installation and Craft?
I thought both films were excellent, but as I mentioned previously, I preferred Through the Eyes of the Sculptor. I have seen, in person, Michelangelo's David in Florence. It was so interesting to hear in the video that Michelangelo would select the perfect piece of marble, and through his carving he merely 'released' the form that was already trapped within it. Both videos added depth to the understanding of the topics we read; it is one thing to read about techniques and imagine in your mind how they were done, but the videos bring the pages to life. The videos and readings complement each other. I actually watched the videos first, so when I turned to the text and read the two chapters I could see in my minds-eye what the reading described in words. I was, however, disappointed that there was no mention of glass artist Dale Chihuly. I am a big fan of his work, and had the opportunity last winter to visit the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, which features a collection of Chihuly's work. http://www.moreanartscenter.org/
Below are some of my favorite pictures from this exhibition. Dale Chihuly, in my opinion, takes the art of glass to a whole new level. He is a true innovator, and has a whole team of artisans who help him realize his visions.
1. For each video, discuss/list the key concepts that you learned.
Video: Through the Eyes of a Sculptor
This video followed French sculptor Emmanuel Fillion, who grew up in a village in France that is surrounded by a limestone quarry. At the age of 15 he received a scholarship to study carving and eventually worked as a restoration artist for buildings. Restoring the figure sculptures at Notre Dame Cathedral inspired him to make the move from skilled craftsman to fine artist. The video explains that a restorer has specific geometric shapes or plans to follow, a sculptor uses 'feelings'. As a sculptor, Fillion understands that there are many things to be taken into consideration; for instance where will the sculpture be? Outside or inside? I learned that there are many steps to be taken before a sculpture is complete. First the artist visualizes the work, then he (or she) draws it, then it is sculpted in clay and cast in plaster, and finally, the perfect piece of marble is selected, in Fillion's case from the marble quarry in Pietrasanta, Italy. The last step of course is the finished marble sculpture, and there is no room for error. Fillion is the head of a highly specialized team of "artigiano" craftsmen, it is akin to an orchestra and he is the conductor, leading the group until the completion of a project. My third cousin and his family lived in Torino, Italy for a year. He took a two-week marble sculpting workshop in Carrara. Below is the sculpture he created.
 | |||
| Marble Buffalo |
Video: Glass and Ceramics
Glass is a versatile medium that can used to create functional objects as well as artistic objects; some glass pieces are both beautiful and functional. Made from sand that is heated to temperatures up to 1500° C., glass is a viscous liquid that hardens when cooled. Traditionally, glass is made from a silicate + flux, which helps with fusion (the flux can be soda, potash, limestone or oyster shells) and then heat is added to create a malleable substance that can be shaped at will. A glass artist often uses a long hollow rod, dips it into the viscous glass, then blows into the rod while turning it at the same time. They would then use wet newspaper or a 'marver' to shape it. I once visited the Corning Glass Museum and was able to blow my own glass ornament. One of the glass artists helped by rotating the rod while I blew air into it, and then they clipped it off the rod and created a glass loop so I could hang it up. It was an amazing experience, and it was not easy to do!
While the art of glass making is ancient, first came ceramics. But unlike clay, which is what ceramics are made from, glass never changes chemically. Clay, which comes from the earth, is the raw material used in ceramics. The sculptor or craftsman shapes the clay with their hands or using a potters wheel. The work created needs to air-dry before it is put into a kiln (which reaches high temperatures). The heating of the dried clay changes it's chemical structure; once it has been fired in the kiln it can no longer be changed back to soft clay. The raw materials, used as well as the temperature used, is what determines the quality of ceramics; the higher the temperature, the finer the finished china.
2. How do the videos relate to the readings in the text?
The videos were both informative. I preferred Through the Eyes of the Sculptor, which took me on a fascinating visual journey of the career of sculptor Emmanuel Fillion. It showed the process, from the beginning when he picked the perfect slab of marble at the quarry, to the finished figure in it's final home in the purchaser's landscaping. Chapters 11 and 12 gave so many examples of different sculpting techniques and mediums, such as wood, marble, ivory, stone, metal, fabric and light. Artists of today can turn almost anything into a sculpture. One thing I've noticed about this book, in general, is that the examples depicted are not exclusively from a Western point of view. There are many examples of Asian, African, Middle Eastern and South American art. Most cultures borrow ideas and techniques from one another, so it's important to see what the entire world has created or is creating, not just what Western Europe is creating. Both videos bring the text we read to life, but give us only a part of the picture. The book explains in depth the variety of techniques that artists have to work from, and offer so many beautiful examples.3. What is your opinion of the films? How do they add depth to the understanding of the topics: Sculpture, Installation and Craft?
I thought both films were excellent, but as I mentioned previously, I preferred Through the Eyes of the Sculptor. I have seen, in person, Michelangelo's David in Florence. It was so interesting to hear in the video that Michelangelo would select the perfect piece of marble, and through his carving he merely 'released' the form that was already trapped within it. Both videos added depth to the understanding of the topics we read; it is one thing to read about techniques and imagine in your mind how they were done, but the videos bring the pages to life. The videos and readings complement each other. I actually watched the videos first, so when I turned to the text and read the two chapters I could see in my minds-eye what the reading described in words. I was, however, disappointed that there was no mention of glass artist Dale Chihuly. I am a big fan of his work, and had the opportunity last winter to visit the Morean Arts Center in St. Petersburg, Florida, which features a collection of Chihuly's work. http://www.moreanartscenter.org/
Below are some of my favorite pictures from this exhibition. Dale Chihuly, in my opinion, takes the art of glass to a whole new level. He is a true innovator, and has a whole team of artisans who help him realize his visions.
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