Shannon's Art History Blog: Sculpture

Event Horizon, Antony Gormley
Cast Iron, 2007

Antony Gormley is a contemporary British sculptor known for his human sculptures. Donatello is an early Renaissance Italian sculptor. Different art movements, backgrounds, era, and locations, but they sculpt the same subject: the human body.

Zuccone, Donatello
Marble, 1425

Antony Gormley tends to use cast iron and steel as his main mediums in sculpture like Event Horizon. Event Horizon is a 31 cast iron human figures placed around in cities such as New York City and London. Antony Gormley uses his body for his sculptures. Antony Gormley focuses on space and environment in his sculptures. Gormley also focuses on what the viewer perceives of his art. In Event Horizon, Gormley wondered if the viewer feels like he or she is being watched or if he or she thinks they are the sculpture. Aperture XX is a sculpture made out of 12.5 mm square section stainless steel bars. Aperture XX is an abstract human sculpture that deals with negative and positive space.

Splice III, Antony Gormley
Cast iron, 2009

Donatello used many different materials and mediums in sculpture. Donatello's sculpture David is made out of bronze. Donatello's sculpture Zuccone (Statue of the Prophet Habakkuk) is carved out of marble. Zuccone was Donatello's favourite sculpture (Spooner). Donatello's inspirations were mythology and biblical stories and people.

Splice III is an abstract sculpture of a human. Using blocks of cast iron to create the form. The Magdalene Penitent is a realist wooden sculpture of Mary Magdalene. Magdalene Penitent is known for its perfect anatomy, and has little to no flaws (Cavazzini).

Donatello's sculptures are realistic and based off mythology and the Bible. Common subject matter from the early Renaissance period. Antony Gormley's sculptures are concrete forms of humans using various metal as his main medium.