Portrait sculpture is the art of expressing the essence of a person

Portrait sculpture is a complex genre that allows you to create images of people, both real and fictional, not in full growth. Examples are busts, reliefs and other similar sculptures. A portrait in sculpture does not always clearly convey facial features. Often, this is an idealized image. In past centuries, it was not customary to sculpt great personalities “as is”, sculptors necessarily ennobled their faces. This genre, despite the development of photography and digital printing, remains popular and is on a par with painting.

Excursion into history

The portrait, as a genre of sculpture, appeared in archaic times. In the fifth century B.C. e. developed a typical portrait and one in which the artist wanted to convey a unique image. At the same time, adherents of both directions put the form, and not the psychology or soul of a person, at the forefront.

At the end of the fifth century B.C. e. Demetrius from Alopeka was the first to become interested in the physiognomic features of the people he portrayed. However, he did not try to penetrate deep into the soul. In the fourth century BC e., when a trend towards individualism began to be traced, interest in the unique personality of a person arose, such a branch as a portrait in sculpture began independent development. There were masters who devoted themselves to this area as much as possible. They performed sculptures of both living and deceased famous people of that time.

In the 30s. 4th century BC e. statues of famous tragedians appeared in the Athenian theater of Dionysus. The masters did not have the opportunity to work from nature, but sought to create an image that would correspond to the public’s idea of ​​a particular person. When the portrait arose as a genre in sculpture, several of its directions developed over time. For example, in the era of Lysippus, a direction prevailed that sought to convey the psyche of the depicted and his individual characteristics, based on generally accepted principles of the shape of the head.

Such properties can be seen in the portrait of Alexander, which was found in Pergamon. He is presented here not as a mythological hero, but as close to reality as possible. So, Lysippus created the image of a man – a hero of his era, who fights, suffers and has contradictions inside.

How a masterpiece is created today

Modern portrait sculpture is a wonderful opportunity to forever imprint in the statue not only the appearance, but also character traits. Creating such an image is not only technically difficult, the main difficulty lies in displaying the arc. Today, it is not necessary to be physically present in the workshop and pose, because a portrait sculpture is made with a photo, you can even buy it online. The master, having received an image on paper, begins to turn a piece of clay into a sculpture, revealing the spiritual world of the person being portrayed. You can create a real masterpiece only with a combination of modeling skills and the talent of a psychologist.

Portrait sculpture to order is carried out in several stages:
1. Preparatory work. The sculptor on the frame is gaining the desired mass of the head, taking into account the size and proportions. The wizard begins with a general outline. To accurately convey the structure of the face, it is repelled from several points: the crown, brow ridges, the tip of the nose and the bottom of the chin.
2. Proportions of the face. The master starts with the location of the eyes, accurately determining the size, height, distance between them. When working, he adheres to a longitudinal line in the center so that symmetry is observed. At the same stage, the height of the forehead, the location of the mouth, nose, lips, and chin are determined.
3. Correction of details. Having dealt with the outlines and proportions, the sculptor proceeds to study facial expressions. Portrait sculpture is primarily about the soul, so the master conveys the mood, character traits and individual inner world of the model in his creation.

The almost finished sculpture at the final stage lends itself to molding and casting. Molding conditionally divides the sculpture into two parts. The surface of the clay is covered with a layer of gypsum, after which the mold opens. Now it remains to make castings from the selected material. Thus, a portrait sculpture to order is not made in one day, but the result of waiting will be a statue that maximally conveys the external appearance and inner world of a person.