This bronze is beautiful, and there is no substitute to bronze for sculpture that can show much detail and strength, as this one above proves. Since I was a studio arts (painting) major in University, I studied many sculptures in my studio classes as well as my art history classes. To me though, the best way to appreciate anything, is to do it yourself, or at least attempt it - and that is exactly what I proceeded to do a few years back with bronze.
Torso by Emile Antoine Bourdelle French 1861-1929.
From: Doyle, New York
Throughout my art history classes, I saw many images of figurative bronzes similar to these above, in my studies. Years later, when I went to my Adult Continuing Education courses at SMU, and took my class in Bronze Sculpture Making, the images above are what my sub-conscience must of remembered, because my finished product looked so similar!
First, similar to lost cast wax method from my jewelry making days, you construct a wax mold of whatever it is you want to cast in bronze. In jewelry, I would carve my wax from a block of wax by using an e-xacto knife. I didn't think I could achieve any fluidity in my nude sculpture that way, so instead of carving my mold with a knife, I planned on molding it with my fingers. The only wax I could find soft enough was Crayola modeling wax - yes, the kind kids use! So that's what I bought and I made my form, about 6 inches high.
This is the wax piece in the forefront, and the second piece shows it attached to a wax sprue (attached to a paper cup, which will burn out in the process). This photograph shows the process from the wax to the coating, right before the bronzing.
These are our pieces ready to go into the pit.
Heating up the molten bronze, before the pour.
This is the pourer, where the bronze is. Inside the pit, are the sculptures.
They have been heated up, to where the wax has melted and left an empty space for the bronze to fill.
Mine is out, and fully bronze now. I have to put it in a vice, to cut off the supports, and file away the edges.
My finished creation
Ok, Rodin I'm not, but it's not terribly bad?! She's has a round little tummy, but any artist will tell you: it's no fun drawing, painting, or sculpting super-skinny people. Curves are much more fun to create (which might explain the multitude of paintings with Rubenesque women in the Renaissance era)!
