Media: Sculpture What makes sculpture different from the other visual arts? Since sculpture is three-dimensional, we can walk around it and appreciate from multiple angles how the light moves over its surfaces. Sculpture depends on real light and actual space to reveal the beauty of its forms and surfaces, so the sculptor does not have to create the illusion of space or light. In this way, the sculptor is freed from the two essential challenges of traditional two-dimensional art. In exchange, the sculptor must deal with other practical and visual concerns. Sculptures must be balanced, or they'll topple over. They must also be visually appealing from more than one point of view, and well-suited to the display space. But when all these considerations are masterfully addressed, sculpture offers a unique sensory experience that distinguishes it from all other visual arts. Click on a technique to learn more about sculpture methods. Carving  Modeling  Casting  Constructing At ease with sculpture Lea Whittington We live in a world full of objects. Our senses, especially our binocular vision, are designed for perceiving objects. It's no wonder, then, that sculpture is innately familiar to us — and seems to be more a part of our everyday world than a part of the art world. Go to the sculpture garden of any museum, and you'll witness the intimate familiarity sculpture inspires: children who stand at a reverent distance from a famous painting will climb all over an equally expensive piece of sculpture — if the guards allow them. Sense and sensibility Steve Novick Sculpture also has an innate tactile appeal. You can test this appeal yourself. Stand next to a piece of sculpture made of stone or wood, and pay attention to your impulse to touch its surface. Would you feel the same desire to touch a lithograph or a photograph? Since the materials used in sculpture are basically the materials of our everyday world — wood, stone, clay, metal, plastic — they seem much more familiar and approachable than oil, acrylic, and encaustic. Covering their rear Kris Mills Whether you think of the colossal statues of Egyptian pharaohs or delicate mobiles sculpture is unique among the visual arts as being essentially three-dimensional. And because it has real volume, a sculpture can usually be seen from more than one viewpoint. There may be a clearly defined front and back — but a sculptor must account for viewers walking around the sculpture. Both literally and metaphorically, sculptors must cover their rear. A sense of place Because sculpture is so interactive, sculptors must create with people in mind — how viewers are likely to interact with it, move around it, and associate it with a particular place. Some sculpture is created for a specific building site or public space, and seems to define the space around it. Think of how silly the Statue of Liberty would look inside a sports stadium like the Houston Astrodome, but how appropriate it seems in the New York harbor. While two-dimensional works of art can be moved with relative ease, sculpture must be installed with forethought and care. Explore the possibilities The number and variety of approaches to sculpture are almost limitless. Most correspond to the four basic methods of making sculpture: Carving  Modeling  Casting  Constructing