Read any Good Books on Figurative Sculpture

[Merlion]

Allow me to start a new thread for exchanging comments on books on figurative sculptures, especially any good books or chapters in such books that you have noticed recently.

(My apology if there has already been such a thread. I searched but couldn't find one.)

[GaryR52]

I recently read "From Clay to Bronze," by Tuck Langland and although it's focus is primarily figurative sculpture and I'm a non-objective sculptor, I found it a very informative general technical guide. There is some good advice on pricing one's work, entering exhibitions and other career management issues, as well.

http://print.google.com/print?id=YngqQZmYVJgC&pg=PA12&lpg=PA12&dq=Clay+to+Bronze,+Tuck+Langland&prev=http://print.google.com/print%3Fq%3DClay%2Bto%2BBronze,%2BTuck%2BLangland% 26oi%3Dprint&sig=KEAVU4jU2p3flgmGRR_X9wnKLv0

Gary

[Merlion]

While I was reading your posting Gary, I happen to have Tuck Langland's "From Clay to Bronze" right on my desk. I agree it is a very good and practical book on figurative sculptures, not only for sculptors interested in bronze.

The book has the subtitle, "A Studio Guide to Figurative Sculptures".

[Carvnmarble]

You may want to read "Sculpture Inside and Out" by Malvina Hoffman, it's an old book but has lots of sculpture techniques, etc., - Kinder

[Jamo]

sculpting and modelling the human figure by eduard lanteri very good book.
strong basis for sculpting the bust and figure alot of technical methods from a classical approach. I would suggest picking this one up.

[Tirebiter]

To echo Kinder above, I just started reading MH's autobiographical account, Heads and Tales In Many Lands, which details her experiences sculpting individuals (104 bronzes in ~4 years?!) all over the world to represent the many races of humankind for the Field Museum in Chicago in the 1930's and fill their (no-longer-existent) anthropological exhibit/wing, "The Hall of Man."

Fascinating stuff.

Incidentally, if you are having trouble locating a book, and you want to read it on-the-cheap, there is always interlibrary loan. :)

Eric

[Merlion]

sculpting and modelling the human figure by eduard lanteri very good book.
strong basis for sculpting the bust and figure alot of technical methods from a classical approach. I would suggest picking this one up.

I agree. This book, first published by Chapman & Hall, London, in 1902, is a real classic. I remember reading that even the famous Rodin said he learnt from this book.

I find the chapter on "Drapery" very good, the best I have seen, with clear explanation illustrated by sketches and photos.

The book has been republished by Dover Publication in 1965 and 1985. It is still in print and I bought a new one recently.

For those interested, the details are
Edouard Lanteri, "Modelling and Sculpting the Human Figure", Dover Publication, Inc, New York, 1985, ISBN 0-486-25006-7. At the back of the book, it says $12.95 in USA.

[Merlion]

About A Rodin's mention of E Lanteri, I have just checked. Lanteri was actually the sculpture teacher of Rodin. And in a complimentary letter published as part of the forward in Lanteri's other book, "Modelling and Sculpting Animals", Dover Publications, Rodin wrote,

"My Dear Master, My Dear Friend,
None more than you has gained the affection of his pupils. You are at one and the same time a sculptor and a teacher of sculpture, that is to say, so equipped that your teaching has ever been in accordance with experience. ... Your friends Dalou, Boehm, Legros and myself, to whom our intercourse has been so charming, have ever been faithful to you. These artists and workers have ever loved the great worker in you, who to-day give to the public your science of anatomical form, one of your studies - your constant care. ...."

[realsculpt]

get "human anatomy for artists" by Goldfinger, its perfect for sculptors.


THanks
Seth
www.forensicsculpting.com
www.realsculpt.com

[Merlion]

get "human anatomy for artists" by Goldfinger, its perfect for sculptors. THanks Seth

Thanks for the recommendation Seth. The book also has very good review in Amazon.com. I'll have a look out for it.

For human anatomy, I very like and make frequent use of the book by Sarah Simblet, "Anatomy for the Artist", DK Publishing, New York, 2001, ISBN 0-7894-8045-X. The book has very good photography, taken by John Davis.

[GlennT]

The History of American Sculpture and Modern Tendancies in Sculpture (1917) , both by Lorado Taft, both long out of print, are very good books. As others have noted the Lanteri book is great. another book, Famous American Sculptors , don't remember the author, from around the 1920's, provides some personal glimpses into some very good artists. The Reminiscences of Augustus Saint Gaudens, in two volumes, is great reading if you can find a copy. Just in case anyone missed it, The Agony and the Estcasy by Irving Stone, and the Autobiogaphy of Cellini by Norman Mailer, ooops, by Cellini are great reads as well.

Glenn

[ajoysisk]

There is another Langland book out there entitled "Practical Sculpture" -- it may be out-of-print but you can probably find it on EBay or the like. Also helpful are the Bruno Lucchesi books, one of which focuses on modeling a single portrait head.

[mountshang]

The History of American Sculpture and Modern Tendancies in Sculpture (1917) , both by Lorado Taft, both long out of print, are very good books.

The wonderful thing about Taft's "History of American sculpture" is that he has opinions, and plenty of them. Aesthetic judgment is forbidden to the academic art historians of today -- but aesthetic judgement is what Taft's life was all about, and he wasn't going to be shy about it.

Here's what he had to say about a sculpture that I photographed this Summer:

http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/370/1878/1600/grant4.jpg


"Louis T Rebisso, who taught modeling for many years at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, was not a great sculptor. His equestrian statues appear to have been in much demand since they are found in several cities, but they are uniformly commonplace, not good enough to be considered from an artistic standpoint, and nor bad enough to be picturesque."


That's humorous ! ... and a little tough, I think, especially considering the praise he's lavished on others -- but as he later wrote, he was not interested in comparison, only in appreciation, and "criticism where necessary"

(in my worthless opinion, Rebisso's aesthetic may have been commonplace in 1890, just like John Ford's westerns back in the 1940's -- but now --several generations later -- their special qualities can be better appreciated)

[Scout]

That is a wonderful book list. My favorite is Luccessi too. I've appreciated a few videos on sculpting too. Anyone learn anything from videos?

Thanks for this thread Merlion. It's hard for a beginner to sort through so many books that are out there. Narrowing down the list helps. Scout

[dwright]

One of my favorite books is 'The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini".
The chapter in volume two where he describes in detail the bronze casting of his heroic scale Perseus and Medusa sculpture in one piece is hilarious.
During the casting the workshop burns, Cellini has a nervous breakdown, recovers, the capets, tapestries, and boards are ripped from the villa, and all eating utensils, plates, and goblets (pewter) are thrown into the furnace, which promptly explodes.
The result? A perfect casting which still stands today.

[furby]

That Cellini chapter was great yeah. :)

The Lanteri books are excellent for technical & little details you need for figurative work. I've got the figure one in the old edition, & i borrowed the animal one from the library & reading it now. Where else would you learn lion anatomy for artists?
And i've always considered a proper sculptor should be able to make a decent lion. They all used to :)

"Figure Drawing and Anatomy for the Artist" by John Raynes is a fine anatomy book thats out of print. My friend who teaches sculpture borrows it a lot for her students. Wish they would reprint it.

I've been reading lately "Henry Moore on Sculpture", and thats a wonderful book. He did base all his work on the figure even the more abstracted things he did, and there's a lot in there about how he thought about sculpture. Its just a fantastic book & very inspiring. He would have been a great teacher.

-cath

[furby]

Ah!!! they have Figure Drawing and Anatomy for the Artist on UK amazon! I'm straight out buying another copy right now!!

[furby]

I probably should mention she's been borrowing it off me, off & on, for like 10-15 years or more.. and all that time i was looking for another copy. its time :)

[JasonGillespie]

A great...and relatively cheap..book is Dover's Rodin On Art And Artists. It has some b/w illustrations, but the meat is Rodin's astute observations about the nature of figure sculpture...as well as other topics. The degree of thought he put into his observations on these subjects shows it was no fluke he single-handedly revolutionized figure sculpture.

Another great book is Anne Middleton Wagner's Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, Sculptor of the Second Empire. It is mainly focuses on Carpeaux's career, but it also examines the environment/influences that created him. Her chronicling of his indebtedness to Michelangelo is especially interesting. Her research and insight into the creative process behind Carpeaux's greatest works is some of the best I've ever read on any sculptor. I found that it made me reevaluate my own process of internalizing influences and, I think, made become more discerning in terms of narrative in my work. I highly recommend it.

[Claywhore]

(Embrace of Life: the Sculpture of Gustav Vigeland), is one of the most inspiring books I own, I have all of the previously mentioned books and there all fantastic, but there is something about this guys work that goes beyond the era in witch he lived. A friend of mine turned me on to his work and I ended up buying this expensive book witch is about his sculpture park in Oslo Norway. If you want to check him out there is a good web site on him, Enjoy.

http://www.fortunecity.com/westwood/arch/769/Vigeland/

[JasonGillespie]

Claywhore,
I agree with you on the Embrace of Life. It is a great book...even for its age. I don't own it, but checked it out numerous times back in my undergrad days and have been a Vigeland fan ever since. I have since gotten a smaller volume of his work and read a couple of others and echo your recommnedation.

Now that you mention him.....another smaller, but still excellent book on this great sculptor is Gustav Vigeland: The Sculptor and His Works by Ragna Stang. It is has many great pictures of his early work for monuments and portrait busts and the like. It also has an excellently written biography of his earliest training and subsequent career leading all the way up to his final years creating the sculptures in Frogner Park.