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Title :: Sculpture in Motion Pictures Volume :: Vol. LVIII, No. 3 Cover Photo :: |
"To the Movies and Back: A Sculptor's Insight" Every young artist must confront the "Art is long, life is short" dilemma: How do you find and follow the truest path to your own creative identity? Born with talent and desire, how do you build a life around the art that satisfies your heart and soul? Wesley Wofford made the decision that would take his life full circle after two years as an art scholarship student a Valdosta State University in Valdosta, Georgia. Although the traditional academic program was excellent, it seemed to offer no direct route to life as a working sculptor. "Teknika: Film and Fine Art" One of the primary differences between traditional sculpture and some of the sculptural elements in motion pictures is that in film the sculpture must function, move and exactly replicate a living thing, as opposed to traditional sculpture, which is static and can be more interpretive in style. From a prosthetic makeup on an actor to a mechanized photorealistic person, the sculpture not only has to be immaculate, but it has to be translated into a medium that is pliable and cost effective. But most of all it has to function properly on the set. "Film and Fine Art" Among the accomplished sculptors whose resumes include achievements in both the movie workshop and the world of the fine art studio are: Evan Penny, Keith Edmier, John Brown and Jose Ismael Fernandez. "More than Decor: Sculpture in Fritz Lang's Metropolis" As director of Metropolis, Fritz Lang set out to create "the costliest and most ambitious picture ever made." Metropolis was shot in 310 days in 1925 and 1926, with 30,000 extras, 750 bit parts, and a confluence of brilliant artistic talent. The story line received negative reviews when the film premiered in Berlin in 1927, but critics then and now are nearly unanimous in praise of the movie's visual power. This achievement rests on Lang's imagination and obsessive perfectionism, but also upon the accomplishments of his art directors Otto Hunte, Erich Kettelhut, and Karl Vollbrecht. "Ron Mueck: Beyond the Movies" In little more than a decade, Ron Mueck's hyperrealist sculptures have garnered both critical acclaim and enormous popularity with audiences who are otherwise indifferent to contemporary art. From tiny vulnerable infants to huge glowering self-portraits, Mueck's work astonishes with its attention to lifelike detail: veins that seem to pulse beneath skin, sweaty wisps of hair and fields of stubble, warts, and blemishes, even the glistening traces of placenta on a newborn infant. "Fantasy, Fun and Facts in Hollywood: A Behind-the-Scenes Sculptor's Story" Part of Hollywood's magic is due to sculptors whose wonderful talent and hard work make a visual feast of the films we watch. Hollywood and the motion picture industry employ sculptors to design and build elaborate props for the movies. Sculptors work with art directors, production designers, visual effects directors, and prop masters. Not only are famous sculptures often represented in films and are seen by a very large audience, but also film is a component in the evolution of sculpture through its support of working sculptors, and by spearheading innovative processes. | |