sculpture

/ˈskʌlptʃər/

/ˈskʌlptʃə/

Other forms: sculptured; sculptures; sculpturing

Sculpture is a type of artwork that's two- or three-dimensional, so you can see it from different sides. You can make sculpture from clay, marble, wood, and even mashed potatoes, though the potato kind might not make it into an art museum.

From the Latin sculpere "to carve," sculpture often is carved out of a block of wood, stone, or other material. Statues and outdoor artworks are one type of sculpture, and they are freestanding — you can walk around them, under them, or even over them. Other types are carved into walls, with the figures or objects sticking out from a flat surface. Artists called sculptors use soft materials, metal, and even ice and common objects like cars and cans to make sculpture.

Definitions of sculpture

1. noun

   a three-dimensional work of art
   types:

   bronze

   a sculpture made of bronze

   bust

   a sculpture of the head and shoulders of a person

   carving

   a sculpture created by removing material (as wood or ivory or stone) in order to create a desired shape

   marble

   a sculpture carved from marble

   mobile

   sculpture suspended in midair whose delicately balanced parts can be set in motion by air currents

   clay sculpture, modeling, mold, molding, mould, moulding

   sculpture produced by molding

   embossment, relief, relievo, rilievo, sculptural relief

   sculpture consisting of shapes carved on a surface so as to stand out from the surrounding background

   stabile

   a sculpture having fixed units (usually constructed of sheet metal) and attached to a fixed support

   statue

   a sculpture representing a human or animal

   alto relievo, alto rilievo, high relief

   a sculptural relief in which forms extend out from the background to at least half their depth

   bas relief, basso relievo, basso rilievo, low relief

   a sculptural relief in which forms extend only slightly from the background; no figures are undercut

   cinquefoil

   an ornamental carving consisting of five arcs arranged in a circle

   glyptic art, glyptography

   carvings or engravings (especially on precious stones)

   herm

   a statue consisting of a squared stone pillar with a carved head (usually a bearded Hermes) on top; used in ancient Greece as a boundary marker or signpost

   half-relief, mezzo-relievo, mezzo-rilievo

   a sculptural relief between low relief and high relief

   nude, nude sculpture, nude statue

   a statue of a naked human figure

   Olympian Zeus

   a seated statue of the supreme god of ancient Greek mythology created for the temple at Olympia; the statue was 40 feet tall and rested on a base that was 12 feet high

   scrimshaw

   a carving (or engraving) on whalebone, whale ivory, walrus tusk, etc., usually by American whalers

   sphinx

   a mythical creature with a lion's body and a human head

   term, terminal figure, terminus

   (architecture) a statue or a human bust or an animal carved out of the top of a square pillar; originally used as a boundary marker in ancient Rome

   vermiculation

   a decoration consisting of wormlike carvings

   woodcarving

   a carving created by carving wood

   type of:

   plastic art

   the arts of shaping or modeling; carving and sculpture

   solid figure, three-dimensional figure

   a three-dimensional shape
2. noun

   creating figures or designs in three dimensions
   synonyms: carving

   types:

   modeling, modelling, molding, moulding

   a preliminary sculpture in wax or clay from which a finished work can be copied

   type of:

   art, artistic creation, artistic production

   the creation of beautiful or significant things

   beaux arts, fine arts

   the study and creation of visual works of art
3. verb

   create by shaping stone or wood or any other hard material
   synonyms: sculpt

   grave, sculpt

   shape (a material like stone or wood) by whittling away at it

   type of:

   forge, form, mold, mould, shape, work

   make something, usually for a specific function
4. verb

   shape (a material like stone or wood) by whittling away at it
   synonyms: grave, sculpt

   sculpt

   create by shaping stone or wood or any other hard material

   type of:

   carve

   form by carving