The Famous sculptors Of history have been visual artists who created works in three dimensions using different materials such as wood, stone, marble, glass, clay or metal.
In this line, the sculpture requires an advanced artistic sense, dexterity, precision and a great physical work.
The art of carving has existed since the beginning of time, some of the oldest sculptures of which it is recorded date from around the year 10,000 BC. Imagery has been a fundamental part of religious devotion in many cultures.
As for its origins, the Western sculptural tradition began in ancient Greece, where great masterpieces were produced during the classical period. During the Middle Ages, Gothic sculpture sought to represent the agony and passion of the Christian faith.
Shortly after, the resurgence of classic sculpture models during the Renaissance gave rise to famous sculptures, such as Michelangelo's David.
Today, modern sculpture has moved away from traditional processes and the emphasis on the representation of the human body, giving rise to the movement of constructivist sculpture.
From its beginnings until our days, the sculpture has been mostly monumental. During the 15th century monuments dedicated to biblical heroes were created in the streets of some Italian cities.
But during the twentieth century, many of the erected carvings have been dedicated to singers, painters, writers, politicians, etc.
Throughout the geography, you can also find sculptures that have had a source functionality. These types of constructions were typical of the imperial houses, and now, of the public squares.
Among others of its utilities, the figures emphasized by the eagerness of veneration that they had. In fact, the ancient Sumerians celebrated the military victories by means of sculptures.
Any chronological account of the origin and evolution of the sculpture could occupy several volumes. From prehistoric times, through classical, gothic, renaissance to contemporary, the history of sculpture is full of extraordinary artists.
You may also like This list of famous architects .
Who have been the greatest sculptors in history?
1- Miguel Angel Buonarroti (1475-1564)
Italian sculptor, as well as painter, architect and poet of the Renaissance period. His influence on the development of Western art was fundamental. His most outstanding works in sculpture are the David Y La Piedad , Both can be found in the cities of Florence and the Vatican, respectively.
2- Augusto Rodin (1840 - 1917)
He was a French sculptor and is considered the father of modern sculpture. He was educated in the traditional art school, however he developed a style that would definitely influence the future of sculpture. Among his main works are The Thinker , The kiss Y The Bronze Age .
3- Donatello (1386-1466)
Italian sculptor, developed in the early Renaissance age in the city of Florence. He worked the stone, the bronze, the wood, the mud and the stucco. Although their greatest contribution is monumental sculptures ( David , Saint George ), Donatello also dominated the bas-relief genre.
4- Constantin Brancusi (1876-1957)
Sculptor, painter and Roman photographer, developed his race in France. He is considered a pioneer of the modernist movement and one of the most influential exponents of sculpture during the twentieth century. Among his most recognized works are The Endless Column Y Bird in Space .
5 Antonio Canova (1757 - 1822)
Italian sculptor of the period of Neo-Classicism. He excelled by his works in marble, which took elements of the Baroque period and the resurgence of the classical period. Among his most famous sculptures are Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss , The Three Graces Y Venus Victrix .
6- Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378 - 1455)
Early Renaissance Italian artist, better known as the creator of the bronze doors of the Baptistery of Florence. He studied blacksmithing and sculpture. He founded a metal sculpture workshop that was a hotbed of artists during his time.
7- Pablo Picasso (1881 - 1973)
Spanish visual artist, poet and playwright, spent most of his adult life in France. Considered one of the most influential artists of the 20th century, he co-founded the Cubist movement.
He was self-taught in sculpture and developed his own style, coarse at first, but always innovative and purposeful.
12- Marcel Duchamp (1887 - 1968)
French artist, naturalized American. His work is associated with Cubism, Conceptual Art and Dadaism. Together with Picasso and Matisse, he is considered one of the artists who defined the revolutionary development of the plastic arts at the beginning of the 20th century.
9- Alexander Calder (1898 - 1976)
American sculptor, considered the creator of the"mobile", a type of mobile sculpture that achieves a delicate balance of pieces that move by the action of the touch or the wind. He also produced wire figures and a miniature circus that he himself operated.
10- Camille Claudel (1864 - 1943)
Sculptor and graphic artist born in France. He died in relative darkness, however his work gained recognition for its originality after his death.
It is believed that she suffered a mental illness that caused her to destroy much of her work. He accused Rodin of stealing his ideas and conspiring to his death.
11- Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519)
Italian artist and scientist who excelled in the areas of invention, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, mathematics, engineering, literature, anatomy, geology, astronomy, botany, history and cartography. Among his most famous sculptures are Horse and Rider, bronze sculpture.
12- Alberto Giacometti (1901 - 1966)
Sculptor of Swiss origin, he was also known as a famous post-Impressionist painter. It belonged to the surrealist, expressionist, cubist and formalist movements. His anthropomorphic sculptures, such as Three Men Walking , Were his hallmark.
13- Jean Arp (1886 - 1966)
Sculptor, painter, poet and abstract artist of Franco-German origin. It belonged to the abstract, surrealist and Dada movement. He was distinguished with several recognitions, among them of the Great Prize of sculpture in the biennial of Venice in 1954.
One of his most recognized works is Cloud Shepherd , Which can be found in the University City of Caracas, Venezuela.
14- Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741-1828)
French sculptor neo-classicism. He emphasized the creation of busts and statues of philosophers, inventors and political figures of the illustration. Among them, he portrayed Benjamin Franklin, Voltaire, Moliere, Washington, Jefferson and Napoleon Bonaparte in 1806.
15- Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571)
Blacksmith, sculptor and Italian musician. He belonged and was one of the main exponents of Mannerism. He made large-scale sculptures, such as Golden Bridge Of the Chateau de Fontainebleau, one of the largest royal palaces in France, located southeast of Paris.
16- Andy Warhol (1928 - 1987)
American artist, prominent figure of visual art movement known as pop art. His work explored the relationship between artistic expression, celebrity culture and advertising in the 1960s.
His most famous sculptures may be his Glitter Boxes , Silk screen prints on wooden replicas of cardboard boxes used to store Brillo detergent.
17- Frederic Auguste Bartholdi (1834 - 1904)
French sculptor, best known for his design of the Freedom Lighting the World , Popularly called the Statue of Liberty . The sculpture was unveiled in 1886, as a gift from the French people to the American people. It was said in France that the model for sculpture was the mother of Bartholdi.
18- Bertel Thorvaldsen (1770-1844)
Danish sculptor of international fame, he spent most of his life in Italy. His work developed in a neo-classical heroic style. Among his most famous sculptures are the Nicolaus Copernicus Y JozefPoniatowski In Poland as well as the Maximiliano I In Munich.
19- Fernando Botero (1932 -)
Colombian figurative artist and sculptor, born in Medellín. His characteristic style, called" Boether ", Represents people in figures of exaggerated proportions and volume.
He is the most recognized and cited Latin American artist. His works can be found in many parts of the world, such as Park Avenue in New York and Champs Elysees in Paris.
20- Naum Gabo (1890 - 1977)
Prominent Russian sculptor who belonged to the constructivist movement and was a pioneer of kinetic art.
His sculptures were monumental and mostly involved the movement. An example is the Revolving Torsion , A moving sculpture / fountain found at St. Thomas Hospital in London.
Anthony Caro (1924 - 2013)
English abstract sculptor. It was characterized by the use of objects and industrial materials of waste in metallic sculptural assemblies.
He is considered the leading English sculptor of his generation. During his career he also collaborated with famous architects such as Frank Ghery and Norman Foster.
22- Niki de Saint Phalle (1930 - 2002)
French sculptor, painter and filmmaker. Many of his works are large and are displayed in public areas, such as Tympanum , In the Gallery of Modern Art of Glasgow or the sculpture of Miles Davis Which is located outside the Hotel Negresco in Nice.
23- Raymond Duchamp-Villon (1876-1918)
French artist, brother of Marcel Duchamp, was dedicated to painting and sculpture. He belonged mainly to the Cubist movement and among his most outstanding works are the Torso of a Young Man , the Cubist mansion Y Maggy , Sculpture in bronze.
24- Umberto Boccioni (1882-1916)
Italian painter and sculptor, helped lay the foundations of the futurist movement. Although he had a short life (died at 33 years of age), his influence was clear in artists of the following generations.
His works are kept in art museums, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
25- Andy Goldsworthy (1956 -)
British sculptor, photographer and environmentalist. He has produced works specially developed for specific places located in urban and natural settings. He currently lives in Scotland.
26- Edgar Degas (1834 - 1917)
French artist, famous for his paintings, sculptures, prints and drawings. He is particularly identified with the theme of dance, since more than half of his works include dancers.
He is considered one of the founders of Impressionism, although he considered himself rather a realist. Among his most famous works is The Bellelli Family .
Augusta Savage (1892 - 1962)
Afro-American sculptor, associated with the Harlem Renaissance. His study was instrumental in the development of a generation of artists who achieved national fame in the United States. He fought for equal rights in the artistic community.
28- Lorenzo Bartolini (1777 - 1850)
Italian sculptor of the neo-classicist period. It was influenced by the Florentine renaissance. Among his major sculptural works are the Monument to Elisa Bonaparte Y The Nymph and the Scorpion . His work also includes a large number of busts and portraits.
29- Salvador Dalí (1904 - 1989)
Surrealist artist of Catalan origin, was one of the most outstanding painters of his time. His artistic skills were influenced by Renaissance masters. His repertoire of works includes films, sculptures, photographs and collaborations with multiple artists.
Among his major sculptural works are the Lobster phone and the Sofa Lips Of Mae West, completed in 1936 and 1937 respectively.
30- Jean Dubuffet (1901 - 1985)
French painter and sculptor whose idealistic approach to aesthetics welcomed the so-called"art under"and discarded the traditional standards of beauty favoring what he considered a more human and authentic vision of the creation of the image.
He is considered the founder of the so-called"Art Brut"and the collection of works that this movement generated. Among his most outstanding sculptural works are the Monument with Beast of Foot and the Monumentau Fantome .
31- Henry Moore (1898 - 1986)
English artist, best known for its monumental semi-abstract bronze bronze sculptures, located in different parts of the world. His works mainly represent abstractions of the human figure, often illustrating figures of mothers and children.
His sculptures typically include empty spaces or holes. His ability to complete works of great magnitude benefited him with a great fortune during the latter part of his life.
Bibliographic references
- Sculpturehistory. Excerpted from: visual-arts-cork.com.
- The History of Sculpture. Excerpted from: scholastic.com.