Styles & Periods

• Artists
• Styles & Periods
• Associations
• Glossary
• Projects
• Purchase Guides

20th Century Sculpture

The human figure remained the central subject in sculpture well into the 20th century. However, a radical departure soon occurred, as sculpture stepped down from pedestals, and followed a new path. Henry Moore, Constantine Brancusi and Jean Arp were among the first modern sculptors. These artists increasingly broke away from the naturalistic expression of the work of Auguste Rodin, and worked towards formalized, simplified form. Although best known for his work as a painter, Pablo Picasso contributed richly to sculpture with his assemblages. He collected objects from everyday, such as spoons and bicycle seats, and incorporated them into three-dimensional compositions that challenged the same concerns as his paintings. Marcel Duchamp also established a new relationship to perceived beauty with his ready-mades in 1914. Constructivists in Russia created sculpture that acted more like architecture, making use of the void as a positive space. After World War II, sculpture expanded, in size and in relationship to humans and the environment. Donald Judd and Carl Andre used non-representational modules to articulate space according to geometric schemas. In the 1970s, Earthworks established a postmodern artistic vision that did not depend on galleries and recalled prehistoric forms in the land. Today, Installation Art encompasses trends of Pop Art, Conceptual Art and Video Art and creates articulated spaces that encompass the viewer and bring to bear the new role of sculpture as a part of architecture, much as it was in medieval art.

Feeling inspired? Try out these fine products…

From $14.95 Watercolour Artist's Pocket Books by Search Press Over 100 essential tips to improve your painting.	At Least 39% Off Artists' Oil Colours by Winsor & Newton Our best selling oil paint--artist recommended	At Least 29% Off Flashe Vinyl Paint by Lefranc & Bourgeois Intense pigments with a luminous matt finish
From $19.99 Yummy Watercolor by Better Day Books A beginner's guide to painting sweet treats.	Up to 57% Off WHITE WHITE Pads by Fabriano A superbly bright white paper.	Up to 35% Off Graphite Stick Packs by Cretacolor Ideal for sketching and shading