Eclectic: Modern Scuplture

The dawn of modern sculpture began around the time when Pablo Picasso revolutionized the art of sculpture by creating constructions combining disparate objects and materials into one piece of sculpture. This was the the period when surrealist art was becoming accepted. Artist Constantin Brancusi's abstract scuplture and reduction sculpture was having such an impact and acceptance which is very different from the naturalism of Rodin's sculpture. Throughout the 20th century the emergence of modern sculpture was either hailed or unfavorably looked upon but there was no stopping its popularity. The Modernist trend in the 1950's which adheres to abstract and figurative style dominated the art world. From then on different variations of modern sculpture can be seen everywhere. Modern sculpture eventually became part of the art world and gained respect globally just like ancient sculpture and the classical sculpture of the East and the West.

Modernist sculpture movements basically include: geometric abstraction, De stijl, suprematism, constructivism, dadaism, cubism, surrealism, futurism, minimalism, formalism, abstract expressionism, pop-art and installation art. Materials can be anything from cement or concrete, iron or steel, paper or cardboard or to anything that comes from the artist's wildest imagination. Some modern scuplture are suggestive and offer some shock value especially those that are conceived by controversial artists.

My final take on modern sculpture - I like its simplicity and how the materials used are twisted, bent or presented, etc. and I respect the artist for his/her concept. On the other hand, I cannot really enjoy modern art compared to classical art which is my favorite. Perhaps it does not have the intricacy that I find in classical sculpture but then again some modern sculptures are intricately done. Maybe then it is not a representational artform and hardly can the viewer tell if the sculpture is human, an animal, or simply a huge piece of polished junk. In the end as an artist at heart...I am inclined to believe that in every piece of modern sculpture the soul of the artist is communicating with us and more than ever the artist would like to contribute the beauty and the style of his/her work for us to enjoy. So I should just shut up and visually see the positive side and the beauty that modern sculpture has to offer.

Photo Credit: Joan Miro Sculpture in Barceleno, Spain
Photographer: Joan Canals
Photo Link: http://www.flickr.com/photos/fotocanals/