Sculpture Carvings

Sculptures made from the carving technique involve scraping away portions of material until the desired form is achieved, requiring material that is solid enough to hold form yet soft enough to be scraped away. Other methods of sculpture that use malleable forms like soap, clay, or melted glass are first soft and then harden upon completion. Carving is unique in that it requires more work from the artist because the material used, often wood but can also include varieties of animal bone or rock, is not malleable.

Perhaps the earliest examples of sculpture carvings can be seen in Paleolithic art, which used ivory, animal bone and rock. Some well-known modern artists also use sculpture carvings in their work, including English sculptor Henri Moore and the painter Paul Gauguin, who is often noted for his primitive wooden relief sculptures.

Quick Facts

• Wood carvings were commonly made throughout all ancient civilizations
• In Korea and China, jade carving was the most prestigious type of carving
• Constantin Brancusi's first work was a violin carved from wood