Author Question: Define and describe the technique of lost-wax casting. Give an example of a specific work created ... (Read 121 times)

jc611 · **on:** Jun 23, 2018

Define and describe the technique of lost-wax casting. Give an example of a specific work created with this technique and discuss why its artist might have chosen this technique.

What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

Compare and contrast the experience of Saraceno's in orbit and Christo and Jeanne-Claude's The Gates. Then indicate your responses to these works and the reasons you respond in these ways.

What will be an ideal response?

rachel · **Reply #1 on:** Jun 23, 2018

Answer to Question 1

Casting is an indirect method of sculpture, creating objects from a wax model. The model is fitted with wax rods, which serve as channels for the molten material. The entire ensemble is heated so the wax melts and then runs out (lost), creating the mold. Liquid metal is poured into the mold, cooled, and the mold is then broken open, revealing the sculpture. An example is the bronze sculpture The Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, which displays a gleaming surface in contrast with the detailed flowers, jewelry, and hair style. Cast sculptures allow for fine details, smooth rounded shapes, and glowing reflective surfaces.

Answer to Question 2

Responses will vary. Toms Saraceno's in orbit featured undulating netting that acted like a spider's web, with each person, each new footfall or shift in weight, sending vibrations through the whole. Visitors became aware through their bodies that they were all connected. Suspended in mid-air, they experienced something close to weightlessness, something close to being able to inhabit the sky. The Gates is sculptural in form with 23 miles of rectangular nylon gateways set up in Central Park, New York. In contrast, The Gates involves the idea of impermanence, lasting for a short period of time. Viewers walk through the gates, experiencing a majestic ceremonial walkway of billowing saffron-colored banners. The installation's duration was 16 days; afterwards it was removed, leaving no trace of its presence.