artistic influences

[Ameenah]

I want to know who or what influences your work if any.
I personaly like the clay show me what it wants to be, there is no preasure that way.
I do love Michelangelo's work, the strength and the elegance of the work moves me.
Ameenah

[jim]

Picaso!!

In 4th grade we drew family pictures. Everyone in class drew pretty much the same way but I drew my family in somewhat of a Picaso influence and i still to this day remember the teacher saying now thats not very nice...

good all catholic schools...

[Ameenah]

Thats cute. :D
good old catholic schools... been there. :eek:
Ameenah

[JasonGillespie]

Like you I am a Michelangelo man. He is my most profound influence for more reasons than just his sculpture, but there is also Rodin, Bernini, Saint-Gaudens, Rubens, Bruegel, Leonardo, Tilman Riemenschneider, Ivan Mestrovic, El Greco, Gustave Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, John Singer-Sargent, J M Waterhouse, Vigeland, and many other painters and sculptors throughout art history. The periods that have provided me with the least influences are the 20th century and present day, but all others have been my hunting grounds.

In picking my influences...I keep a remark by Oscar Wilde in mind...While one should always study the method of a great artist, one should never imitate his manner. The manner of an artist is essentially individual, the method of an artist is absolutely universal. The first is personality, which no one should copy; the second is perfection, which all should aim at.

Oscar Wilde

[HappySculpting]

Michelangelo has a big impact on me as well. I enjoy the strength and muscle development that are shown in his figures. These large bodies are demonstrated in such graceful posture.

Here is a quote from Vasari concerning Michelangelo:

"He used to make his figures of nine, ten, or twelve heads, endeavouring to realize a harmony and grace not found in Nature, saying that it was necessary to have the compasses in the eye, not in the hand..."

This can be seen with his sculptures showing that smaller head and big ole' huge muscular body. But it worked and looked wonderful.

I've read that the standard body size is 7 1/2 heads high and some tall people are 8 heads high. So, learning from Michelangelo, we can see that in art we can alter the body proportions to what looks beautiful and not worry about what is completely realistic and natural. This is having an influence on the body proportions of my figures. I'm doing what looks the best, even if it means doing a 9 head length figure.

~Tamara

[classicalsculpt]

the classical greeks, renaissance masters, 19th century academic painters and sculptors, william bouguereau- painter, contrapposto poses

-however my vision is my own.

[JasonGillespie]

HappySculpting,

If you are interested in a more indepth description of the various canons of proportions, you can find a good one in Dr. Richer's Artistic Anatomy. (you may already have it) There are various references on the web as well...though they are usually more specific.

At the academy we are using the 7.5 proportion and are pretty much expected to learn all the head measurements for every section of the body. They advocate us using it because, as Richer states, it is the one which corresponds to the principal measurements of the scientific canons. Also, it has the best fixed skeletal reference points for measuring from. Still, the greater head lengths can create very interesting results.

I have always loved El Greco's attenuated forms. He used his proportional configuration along with a wonderful overall morphing of the form. He understood, as did Michelangelo, that you must adapt the morphology of the form to fit the head length otherwise you'll end up with disproportionate body relationships. I've seen others in art history use these same proportions, but without the gracefulness or integrity of form.

Here is a link to some Egyptian proportions: www.pyramidofman.com/Proportions.htm They had a very interesting 19/18 unit system of measuring the form.

[dwright]

"Bernini, Saint-Gaudens, Rubens, Bruegel, Leonardo, Tilman Riemenschneider, Ivan Mestrovic, El Greco, Gustave Klimt, Alphonse Mucha, John Singer-Sargent, J M Waterhouse, Vigeland"

Yes, all those, plus Borglum, Jo Davidson, MacMonnies,
M.C Escher, Phydias, all the anonymous Egyptian sculptors, Donatello, Heinrich Kley, Noguchi, Barye,...what a topic!
I'm influenced every day every time I open my eyes. It all enters and jumbles around in there and falls out into whatever I'm making.

And I think there are some supermodels out there that have legs that measure 8 heads by themselves.

[tobias]

I think my list of influences is a bit divergent but here it is
Jacques Lipchitz ,Amedo Modigliani, Constantin Brancussi, Juan Gris,Raymond Duchamp-Villon , Henry Matisse, Aristide Maillol,Gaston Lachaise, Alberto Giacometti. And I would be lying if I didnt say that I have a million books on michelangelo and picasso davinci the greeks the egyptians the myans blah blah blah. THat is my list of artistic influences I also love music when i work and for that I list Van halen the stones, dizzy , coltrain, INXS, The used, Rocket from the crypt, the yah yah yahs. and all the beautiful and ugly people out there.