The Sculptor's Funeral

The Sculptor's Funeral Podcast is back with a look into a group of Michelangelo's sculptures collectively known as the Pietàs. Your affable host Jason answrs your burning questions about these mother-son groupings: Why is Mary so big? Is there really a self-portrait of Michelangelo in one of these Pietàs? And - what is a Pietà?

Meet one of the most enigmatic and anachronistic sculptors in history - Franz Messerschmidt. His work looks modern, but that's a few centuries off the mark! He's not what you would expect from a sculptor from the Rococo period... So what gives? Why were these strange heads made? Learn the startling answer here.

Huntington was a prolific American sculptor in the early 20th century, but her greatest legacy may be the extensive and unique sculpture park she built, the first of its kind in the United States. Listen here to learn about the past and future of Brookgreen Garden; with interviews with Bryan Rapp and Robin Salmon.

The Venus De Milo, the Torso Belvedere, The Winged Victory, The Laocoon - some of the most famous Antique sculpture in the world. Strange that we know so little about who made them and why! So what makes them so famous? Find out the unexpected reasons here.

It's often hyperbole to describe something as 'colossal' - but when you're talking about the statue for which the word 'colossal' was coined, you get a pass. Learn what there is to know about how and why the Colossus of Rhodes was built, and how it rightly earned its place as one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the original Bucket List.

The Sculptor's Funeral Podcast is finishing off this strange and terrible year with the final round of the quiz show! Listen to Lubov, David, and Liz test their knowledge of the history of sculpture, in their quest to attain the coveted Sculptor's Funeral coffee mug.

Listen to CJ, Mark, and Lubov go head to head in Round Three of the Sculptor's Funeral Quiz Show!

Listen to Rony, Alison, and David go head to head in Round Two of the Sculptor's Funeral Quiz Show!

Three avid listeners of the Sculptor's Funeral Podcast match wits and test their knowledge of art history! Round one, with Bruce, Liz, and Ali.

Praxiteles and Lysippos - the two giants of 4th century Greece, and they are both covered in this episode. Learn what happened to the first classical nude female statue! Learn why eight heads are better than seven! And does Alexander succeed in Making Attica Great Again? Find out here.

If 'Classic' derives from the Greek word for 'Best', then what comes after the time of Classical Athens? Something not as good for Athens, of course. But despite the fall of the world's first democracy, the arts in Athens and all of Greece continued and even flourished. In the first of this two-part episode, we'll cover the sculptors Alkamenes, Kresilas, and Skopas. In the second part, look out for Lysippos and Praxiteles.

In this episode. Jason discusses the sculpture of Polykleitos and the ideas behind them. One of the most celebrated sculptors in history, Polykleitos devised a new formula for the creation of figurative sculpture, known as the Kanon, which set the standard for generations of Greek sculptors following in this giant's wake. Want to be a Classicist in sculpture? The Kanon of Polykleitos is Classicism 101.

In this follow-up on the episode concerning the Greek sculptor Phidias, we take a look at the sculptural program of Greece's most famous structure, the Parthenon: why they were made, what they meant then, and why they have remained relevant - and even controversial - right up to our own day.

Vision, talent, will, and money - the perfect combination for a Golden Age in sculpture. It's only happened a small handful of times, and it happened first in 5th Century BC Greece. In the first of a series of episodes covering this period, Jason discusses well-known landmarks of Classical Greece such as the Riace Bronzes, the Discus Thrower, and the life and work of the greatest of Old Masters - Phidias.

What did it take to move Greek culture forward into the Classical period from the Archaic? Just a few victorious battles against impossible odds, unexpected and fantastic wealth, military and political genius, and... - oh yeah, the complete destruction of Athens. Learn how luck, will, disasters, and mayhem strong enough to wipe the archaic smile off any Greek's face kickstarted the greatest era of Greek civilization. 

Renaissance means 'Rebirth'. But we don't hear much about the original 'Naissance' in Ancient Greece that gave birth to what we call Classical sculpture. When were the first lifesized bronze figures cast? What were the first civic public monuments? Who invented Contrapposto? Find out here.

In the first of a new series of Sculptor's Funeral episodes focusing on the ancient Greeks, Jason looks at the fundamental question underlying the nature of the entire Western European Tradition of sculpture - Why Greece? Why did it all start there, and why do artists throughout history keep returning there -and not Egypt or Persia or another artistic tradition? It's actually a question with a straightforward answer - Nature. But the origins and motives behind this simple answer are more complex.

Gutzon Borglum's masterpiece, the Mount Rushmore National Monument... Overblown tourist attraction, or a sculpture for the Ages? Listen to the unlikely story of its creation, and you might decide that somehow it's both.

Who is Gutzon Borglum, you ask? How strange that the sculptor of the Mount Rushmore National Monument in South Dakota is practically unknown, even in the United States. In the first of this two-part episode, we look at the life and work of the man, before he met the mountain.

This episode of the Sculptor's Funeral examines the controversy surrounding the removal of statues from public spaces around the United States. Why are statues commemorating the losing side of a civil war more prevalent than those commemorating the victors of other wars? What is the message they were designed to send - and who sent the message? Jason examines this fascinating case study in public art as propaganda.

Daniel Chester French's greatest work is arguably the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall in Washington, DC. but where does 'greatness' in art come from? Is it given to the artwork by its creator, or is it, like beauty, in the eye of the beholder?

Daniel Chester French is mostly remembered for sculpting the colossal Lincoln on the National Mall in Washington DC, but equally, he was America's master of memorials in the late 19th century. From the Minuteman to the Melvin Memorial, he produced works which helped promote the city beautiful movement far beyond the nation's capital.

Is it Paris? Versailles? Venice? ...Chicago, actually! The stunning cityscape you see in  the image was known as the White City, a dreamlike place which existed for a few short years before disappearing - but its legacy lives on in cities and towns all over the United States, part of a phenomenon known as the City Beautiful Movement.

 "Give me your tired, your poor, Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, The wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me..." ...The American ideals which the Statue of Liberty represents are hard to trump...

In this interview, Jason talks with Michael Defeo, a sculptor who has developed dozens of characters for animated features like Ice Age and Despicable Me, using every tool at his disposal, from clay to Zbrush and beyond. But what is 'digital' sculpting? Is it 'really' sculpting? How does it work?  Mike and Jason discuss these questions and more.

In the second half of this two-part episode, we discuss several works by Saint-Gaudens; monuments that in the hands of lesser sculptors would have been standard, run-of-the-mill statues. But in the hands of a genius, commonplaces become masterpieces.

To tell the story the story of the career of Augustus Saint-Gaudens is to tell the story of American sculpture in the late 19th century. In the first of this two-part biography, we discuss the beginnings of his remarkable career, his unique achievements in low relief, and more.

One of the most influential instructors in figurative sculpture today, Robert Bodem has been the Director of Sculpture at the Florence Academy of Art since FAA started to offer sculpture in the 1990's. If you have ever wondered just what it is they do at the Florence Academy sculpture department, this interview is for you. Rob talks about his teaching curriculum and methodology, as well as his own work and influences.

Harriet Hosmer was known in her day as a 'Lady Sculptor', an 'Emancipated Woman', and as a leading member of 'The White Marmorean Flock'. What all the meant was that she was a successful, independent sculptor at a time when such a career path was hardly open to women. And today, she is barely known at all... In this episode, find out why her work and life is worth remembering.

Host Jason Arkles bids you all a Romantic Adieu (Don't worry, it's just the Season Finale) with this rebroadcast of the Romanticism podcast, as well as discusses the Sculptor's Funeral podcast itself and how it's doing, and gives a big thanks to those who have helped it become what it is.

The first American sculptor to achieve international fame, Hiram Powers, did so with a statue which was as controversial for its anti-slavery sentiment as it was for its (gasp!) nudity. We know that America eventually overcame the scourge of slavery; but how did 19th century America deal with the scourge of the nude in art?

What New World? European settlers on the American continent brought Old World European tastes in sculpture with them from their earliest days, but it wasn't until 1825 that an American-born sculptor, Horatio Greenough, journeyed to Europe to learn how it was done.

Brian Booth Craig talks a lot. Usually this is not a problem, I can edit an interview into a snappy hour long episode - but what Brian says is so interesting and engaging, I can't help but make another episode from all the off-topic conversation I had with him. Listen in and find out why I think he's one of the most thoughtful and perceptive figurative sculptors we have around these days.

Today's interview on the Sculptor's Funeral has me talking with Brian Booth Craig, one of the leading figurative sculptors of the day. We discuss Craig's unique education and work experience, which led on the path toward producing some of the most original and thought-provoking work in a genre awash in repetitive banality - the female nude.

The second part of the dramatic reading from The Autobiography of Giovanni Duprè, in which Duprè receives a crit from Lorenzo Bartolini, is accused of art fraud, and nearly causes the accidental death of his nude model. We've all been there, right?

The Sculptor's Funeral Theater is back with another dramatic reading! The Autobiography of Giovanni Duprè is the memoir of a man who had to fight every step of the way to achieve his dream of becoming a sculptor. Though written over a century ago, his struggles and his triumphs are familiar to many figurative sculptors and sculpture students today.

We talk with Florentine sculptor Raffaello Romanelli, sixth generation sculptor and proprietor of one of the most historic sculpture studios in Europe. Through his family's work we can trace the progression from Neoclassicism through Romanticism, Modernism, and right through to the present resurgence of figurative sculpture. 

This episode kicks of the exploration of the OTHER 19th century in sculpture - the one occurring outside the milieu of Paris. Lorenzo Bartolini shaped the sculpture of 19th century Italy, evolving the Neoclassicism of Canova into a ethos which sought to seek Beauty in Truth, and Truth in Beauty.

The Three Graces. Cupid and Psyche. Napoleon. Everyone knows Antonio Canova, and you either love him or hate him. But - love him or hate him - do you understand him? The Sculptor's Funeral explores Canova's work in the context of the Enlightenment and French Revolution, and finds there is more to Canova than just a sculptor of ideal nudes.

The idea of looking towards Greek art for inspiration wasn't exactly new in the late 18th Century with artists such as Canova and David. Artists had been doing it constantly, and for centuries. And yet, the name we give the dominant style of the late 18th century - Neoclassicism - seems to imply there was. What was so 'Neo' about Neoclassicism? Listen to the podcast and join the Enlightened.

Plaster - where would we sculptors be without it? As fundamental as this versatile material is to the basic processes of sculpture, how many of us know why plaster does what it does - or what it's even made of? This podcast sheds light on these and other mysteries, and includes an interview with unabashed plaster lover Alicia Ponzio.

Figurative sculptor Sabin Howard has just been selected to complete the sculptural components of the National World War One Memorial in Washington, DC. In this interview, Howard talks about how he arrived at the concepts behind the sculptures for the memorial (which will include a frieze in bronze over 80 feet long),  and his approach towards his art.

 Michelangelo's path to immortality continues to twist and turn in this episode, detailing his time in Florence working on the New Sacristy, a commission for which he worked Day and Night, and from Dawn to Dusk...

Just because you are the immortal genius Michelangelo doesn't mean you have it easy... This episode explored the trials and tribulations of the commission for the Tomb of Pope Julius II, the the lavishly extravagant commission of the century - that was never meant to be.

Today's podcast features interviews of three sculptors - Matt Kindy, Spencer Schubert, and Philippe Faraut - who have found that the best quality sculpture tools are the ones they make themselves. And luckily for us, these sculptors also handcraft their high quality tools in small amounts and make them available to others.

...You know which David. You know who created it. But do you know why it was created in the first place, or how it ended up becoming one of the most famous works of art on earth? And what's with the big head?? The Sculptor's Funeral Podcast digs into the David's origins to get a better understanding of Michelangelo's masterpiece, and debunks a few myths along the way.

Happy New Year from The Sculptor's Funeral, everyone! Here's the introduction to Michelangelo episode which aired a year ago - good prep for next week's all new episode about his David.

Happy Holidays! - Enjoy this repeat episode which details the rise of academic institutions in the training of artists.

The greatest sculptor in Florence between the time of Donatello and the rise of Michelangelo, Andrea del Verrocchio explored figurative composition like no sculptor before him - but his greatest contribution to art might be in the painters he taught  - from Ghirlandaio and Signorelli, to Leonadro da Vinci himself.

In a career cut short by an early death, Desiderio Da Settignano nevertheless managed to rival Donatello in relief work, and re-invent the genre of child portraiture in sculpture, bringing the Age of Ugly Renaissance Babies to a thankful end.

"I tried to fire my sculpture once, and it blew up in the kiln."  -And thus endeth the exploration of terracotta sculpture for many a clay modeller. But it doesn't have to be that way! In this Shop Talk episode, Jason discusses tips and tricks, principles and practices of modelling figurative work for firing into terracotta.