Why Marble For Sculpture

From these beginnings artifacts have evolved to their current complexity.

Why marble for sculpture.

As in most ancient cultures there were no doubt also traditions of sculpture in wood about which we know very little other than acrolithic sculptures usually large with the head and exposed flesh parts in marble but the clothed parts in wood. It is used for its optical properties in cosmetics paint and paper. Marble sculpture is the art of creating three dimensional forms from marble. Throughout art history sculptors have experimented with an eclectic range of mediums.

Both marble and bronze are easy to form and very durable. Hardness and weight are primary reason marble has been used across many civilization. David marble sculpture executed from 1501 to 1504 by the italian renaissance artist michelangelo the statue was commissioned for one of the buttresses of the cathedral of florence and was carved from a block of marble that had been partially blocked out by other sculptors and left outdoors. Probably the most popular material used in sculpture marble s translucency and durability has made it the medium of choice for all the greatest sculptors including greek artists like phidias myron polykleitos and praxiteles as well as their successors donatello.

Even before painting cave walls early humans fashioned shapes from stone. Venus de milo c 130 100 bce marble statue musee du louvre. Typical marble weigh about a half of granite of same size and lot so. It is used for its chemical properties in pharmaceuticals and agriculture.

Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals most commonly calcite or dolomite marble is typically not foliated although there are exceptions in geology the term marble refers to metamorphosed limestone but its use in stonemasonry more broadly encompasses unmetamorphosed limestone. Sculpture is among the oldest of the arts. Very few rocks have as many uses as marble. Prevalent in ancient and contemporary art alike marble artworks have a prominent place in many major art movements and are among some of the most famous sculptures in the world.

See pergamene school of greek sculpture. As bronze always had a significant scrap value very few original bronzes have survived. They are easy to quarry shape and polish compared to other popular stone type of ancient. Marble is commonly used for sculpture and as a building material.

While cast bronze carved wood and fired clay have made lasting impressions no material has captivated quite like marble. It is used for its beauty in architecture and sculpture.