Conservators, scientists, and curators tell the story behind the unprecedented conservation of …
Conservators, scientists, and curators tell the story behind the unprecedented conservation of Tullio Lombardo's Adam. The life-size marble statue of Adam, carved by Tullio Lombardo (Italian, ca. 1455–1532), is among the most important works of art from Renaissance Venice to be found outside that city today. Made in the early 1490s for the tomb of Doge Andrea Vendramin, it is the only signed sculpture from that monumental complex. The serene, idealized figure, inspired by ancient sculpture, is deceptively complex. Carefully manipulating composition and finish, Tullio created God's perfect human being, but also the anxious victim of the serpent's wiles. In 2002, Adam was gravely damaged in an accident. Committed to returning it to public view, the Museum undertook a conservation treatment that has restored the sculpture to its original appearance to the fullest extent possible. The exhibition allows Adam to be viewed in the round and explains this unprecedented twelve-year research and conservation project. It also inaugurates a new permanent gallery for Venetian and northern Italian sculpture. The installation of this gallery was made possible by Assunta Sommella Peluso, Ignazio Peluso, Ada Peluso, and Romano I. Peluso.
Students will discuss what is communicated in an ancient statuette by analyzing …
Students will discuss what is communicated in an ancient statuette by analyzing the size and poses of two figures. They will learn that stories were passed through oral tradition in ancient times. They will create sculptures of themselves, a companion, and a favorite musical instrument using spheres and cylinders, and then recite a story inspired by their sculptures.
Learn about many ways to combine art and science as we observe …
Learn about many ways to combine art and science as we observe the world around us. We often think of scientists as methodical and precise, and artists as free-willed, impulsive creators. But did you know that some art has science packed right into it? And that artists throughout history have helped scientists conduct their work? Learn about the photography of Berenice Abbott who documented the changing New York skyline with photographs of architecture and urban design of the 1930s, and science interpretation in the 1940s to 1960s. Learn how to use the sun to air dry your salt dough creations and explore papier-mâché.
Students learn how forces are used in the creation of art. They …
Students learn how forces are used in the creation of art. They come to understand that it is not just bridge and airplane designers who are concerned about how forces interact with objects, but artists as well. As "paper engineers," students create their own mobiles and pop-up books, and identify and use the forces (air currents, gravity, hand movement) acting upon them.
This art history video discussion examines Gian Lorenzo Bernini's "Pluto and Proserpina" …
This art history video discussion examines Gian Lorenzo Bernini's "Pluto and Proserpina" (also know as the Rape of Proserpina), 1621-22, marble (Galleria Borghese, Rome). Proserpina is the Latin varient of the mythic Greek Persephone.
This art history video discussion looks at Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin), Northern …
This art history video discussion looks at Bodhisattva, probably Avalokiteshvara (Guanyin), Northern Qi dynasty, c. 550--60, Shanxi Province, China, sandstone with pigments, 13-3/4 feet / 419.1 cm high (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).
Students will analyze the emotions and personality conveyed in an 18th-century sculpture …
Students will analyze the emotions and personality conveyed in an 18th-century sculpture bust of a strong and confident African man and learn that such a portrayal is unique for its time. They will then create an original portrait bust of a strong person who has faced difficult situations.
Students will learn about ancient styles of Roman portraiture and their influence …
Students will learn about ancient styles of Roman portraiture and their influence on western European art, research and write a paper that compares Roman and American slavery, and produce an original sketch of a grave relief for a freed slave.
This art history video discussion examines the Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi …
This art history video discussion examines the Buddha of Medicine Bhaishajyaguru (Yaoshi fo), c. 1319, Yuan dynasty, water-based pigments on clay mixed with straw, 24 feet, 8 inches x 49 feet 7 inches / 751.8 cm x 1511.3 cm (Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York).
Students will examine the sculpture "Rearing Horse" by Adriaen de Vries. They …
Students will examine the sculpture "Rearing Horse" by Adriaen de Vries. They will then draw and sculpt animals from life, trying to capture motion frozen in a moment.
Cardboard Automata are a playful way to explore simple machine elements while …
Cardboard Automata are a playful way to explore simple machine elements while creating a mechanical sculpture. This activity was inspired by the Cabaret Mechanical Theatre, a group of automata builders based in England. Artists like Paul Spooner, Keith Newstead, and Carlos Zapata build beautiful narrative pieces using elegant mechanisms based on cams, gears, springs, and linkages. Working with simple materials, this activity is easy to get started, and may become as complex as your mechanical sculpture ideas.
This art history video discussion examines Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's "Dance," 1865-69, marble, 420 …
This art history video discussion examines Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux's "Dance," 1865-69, marble, 420 x 298 cm (Musee d'Orsay, Paris). Commissioned by Charles Garnier for the facade of L'Opera. In 1964 it was replaced by a copy executed by Paul Belmondo.
Watch a sculptor demonstrate the use of traditional tools—such as the tooth …
Watch a sculptor demonstrate the use of traditional tools—such as the tooth chisel, the point chisel, the drill, and the rasp—as he creates a finished figure from a block of marble. Created by Getty Museum.
Adriaen de Vries, a 17th century Dutch sculptor, often used "direct lost-wax …
Adriaen de Vries, a 17th century Dutch sculptor, often used "direct lost-wax casting." Because the wax is "lost," each bronze cast is unique. If the casting fails, the sculptor begins again. Created by Getty Museum.
Bronze, a combination of copper, tin, and other metals, has long been …
Bronze, a combination of copper, tin, and other metals, has long been prized for its ability to register fine details. Watch indirect lost-wax casting, a technique developed by artists in the 1500s. Created by Getty Museum.
In this art history video Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker …
In this art history video Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker discuss Claus Sluter and Claus de Werve's, "Mourners", Tomb of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, installed 1410. In the Museum of Fine Arts, Dijon.
On the front, students are offered a coloring page based on an …
On the front, students are offered a coloring page based on an object in our collection. On the back, through the lenses of "DISCOVER, IMAGINE, CREATE" students can learn a little about the object, think critically and creatively about the object, and do another related creative activity.
By the Victoria & Albert Museum. The Portico de la Gloria is …
By the Victoria & Albert Museum. The Portico de la Gloria is one of the most remarkable monuments of Romanesque art. It is intricately carved with biblical scenes, interspersed with prophets, saints and angles. In 1866, the Museum commissioned the Italian plaster maker, Domenico Brucciani, to journey to Spain to produce a copy of it. This cast is over 17 metres wide. It determined the dimensions of the Cast Courts, which were built in 1873 to display this and other monumental copies of architecture and artworks from around the world. Find out more about our Cast Courts: https://www.vam.ac.uk/collections/cast-collection. Created by Smarthistory.
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