Looking at the precision and detail on all these sculptures, it’s mind boggling how a human being can recreate such a high degree of depth, emotion and composition starting with a block of marble. Our teacher described the process of sculpting like taking a bath and draining the water: pretending the pool of water is the marble and we are the figure being carved. The human form slowly revealing itself from the face of the block. As a sculptor, I’d be extremely overwhelmed by how much work lay ahead of me but I guess it’s simplifying the idea in your mind first.
I imagine this process being similar to 3D character modeling in programs like Maya. The character needs to be imagined as a combination of basic 3D shapes, extruded or subtracted until the form is created. In sculpting, it would just be subtracting. Afterwards, the texture is added. Much like when Michelangelo uses his tooth chisel to cross hatch his works in the end to the point of smooth perfection. Also, in an animation studio sculptures of each character are present for the animators to observe for depth. I understand why because it helps knowing how each part looks from every angle and having it tangible in front of you.
We visited the Accademia where Michelangelo’s infamous David (1501-1504) stands. David is from the bible story David and Goliath where he defeats Goliath being a young unarmored boy with merely a slingshot and bold faith. Michelangelo created David from a 17 foot block of marble that had been attempted by a few other skilled sculptors but they failed. One look at this massive piece made me lightheaded. I particularly enjoyed his facial expression: TERRIBILITÀ, a trademark of Michelangelo. He was a troubled artist and it was a feeling he was very familiar with so he knew how to execute it flawlessly. I love how he puts himself in his work. In a way, to make a powerful piece of art, you need to become the art itself. Animators do this, understanding their own movement and then becoming the character they're putting life into. This applies to most forms of creativity, removing oneself from reality and becoming your creation using the imagination. That's the fun of it all.
