Sculpting with Metals

There are a great many pieces of sculpture that have been created in stone and wood. These are favorite materials for many who love to carve and create images. Metal sculptures are not quite the same. Metal is a material that can be melted and cast. Softer metals can be hammered into shape by artists. Metal can also be shaped and then soldered together to form a sculpture. There are many examples of both these types of works in the world today. They have been collected and displayed for many years by serious art lovers.

One of the most famous metal sculptures is the Statue of Liberty in New York. This sculpture was a gift from France to the United States. It was sculpted by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, a French artist who studied sculpting with metals when it was a new form of art. Copper was the metal of choice for his most famous work. He produced other pieces, such as the Lion at Belfort, but most of his work is overshadowed by the famous statute.

Modern artists changed the way metal was used in sculpture. The method of making a mold and casting metal was discarded in favor of joining metal pieces beginning in the 1950’s. Rather than melting or hammering his metal, John Chamberlain used discarded industrial and automobile metal parts to create his works. Much of his material was gathered after it had been through metal crushing machines. He fashioned his pieces and used bright colors to highlight the beauty of the metal. Seams were also highlighted to exemplify the fact these discarded pieces had been given a chance at a new life as art.

Sculptures are created with almost any material known to man. They can be a solid piece the artist has carved, or they can be different pieces joined together. Wood artists often join their pieces before carving as many trees are not large enough to encompass their work. Marble and stone artists also do this when they cannot get enough material in one piece. The beauty of all these pieces is in the finished product. Each sculpture is a representation of the artist’s view of the world where they live. Sculptures are made to last for many years and some have survived centuries.